HighSchool DxD: Snow Dragon and Fire Phoenix
by PoyntFury
Summary: After his exile from his home, Drake wandered for a time before arriving, and deciding to settle in Kuoh. His presence brings a number of both helpful and detrimental occurrences to the small city, one of which will determine the future of his love life, while the others will determine the future of an egregious number of people! !OP OC
1. Chapter 1 - Encounter

**HOOOOOOOOLLLLLD UP THERE PARTNER! This here story is, well, in a sense, defunct. I'm not updating in it's current form. DON'T CLICK AWAY JUST YET THOUGH! Instead, I've decided that the best course of action is to post the rewrite of this story in a later chapter, so that everyone who is following or has this story favorited can find the new version without a problem. So, if you want to read the first version, feel free, but just be aware that it's not gonna get updated ever again. If you want to read the new, better version, skip on ahead to CHAPTER 25. Appreciate your time, folks.**

 ** **Hello everyone, this marks the beginning of the HighSchool DxD Fanfiction I've been most eager to begin producing. I think I'll be titling this one: Snow Dragon and Fire Phoenix. The two main characters for this one will be Yuri Kallen (As I've said previously, Yuri Kallen is simply my equivalent to John Doe.) and Ravel Phenex. (I like Ravel, she has a very unique undertone that I'll be attempting to explore with these works.) There will be lemons, language, violence and a marriage. I hope you enjoy, be sure to leave a review so I know what you like and what you don't. Just so we are clear, this story is mainly from Yuri's perspective, and as always I'll be sure to note if and when that changes.****

"You sure you don't want to spend the night? My parents are more than happy to clear the guest bedroom for you, you know." Issei asked worriedly. I smiled, appreciative of the offer. "No thanks man, I might not have a place to stay, but that's not a reason to intrude on the sanctity of a home." I gave him an earnest smile as the girls nearby expressed their discontent at the mere interaction we shared. I waved Issei a quick goodbye as we parted ways outside of the school. I took a moment to look around, thinking of what I should do. I made a mental check of when I last spoke with my father. About 3 months ago, so I had no real need to speak with him. __I haven't spoken with Mom in quite a while, perhaps I should do that this weekend. For now, I should get some food, I haven't stocked up in the last week. The skies seem to be threatening a storm__

After spending roughly half an hour in the convenience store making purchases that would last me the next few days in terms of sustenance. I waited at the counter while the cashier scanned my purchases. I thanked them, and lazily made my way out of the store.

 _ _BAM__

 _ _FUCK. FUCK. FUCK. What WAS That?__ I look down to see what collided into me so forcefully, it was a girl, and a pretty one at that. But why the hell was she running so fast? I looked up, maybe someone was following her? No, not from what I could tell. The girl got up in a huff. "Why don't you watch where you're going?" She said with a stern look. I smiled. __This, coming from the girl who almost leveled me? How ironic.__ I bent down to give a deep bow of apology. I felt as the green charm I had placed beneath my shirt slid down with an audible clatter as it hit the ground. She must have knocked it off of its chain. The girls eyes followed the charm as I picked it up. I looked up at her. I didn't expect the reaction that she gave when she saw the pendant. Her face was a bright red, flush with an intense embarrassment. "Are you... a descendant of the 30 Clans?" She asked. My eyes widened slightly. "You're a... Devil?" She nodded, an action that was quickly followed by a look of excitement. I heard the crack of thunder nearby, and almost instantly after a drop of water fall on the back of my neck. I turned away from the girl, looking to the cafe across the street. "I can see you have some question you're interested in asking. I'm going to that cafe across the street there, why don't you... join me, I'd appreciate the company." She agreed as the rain began to pour down, and we quickly made our way to the other side of the street.

The nearby waitress showed us to a booth in the back of the cafe, it was relatively deserted, at least there were no people around to hear our conversation. We took our seats opposite one another, I barely had a chance to give the waitress my order and before the girl across from me introduced herself. "I'm so, so, so incredibly sorry for running into earlier, I hope you can forgive me. I'm Ravel Phenex." I leaned back in the booth, giving myself an opportunity to get a look at her before responding. She was a rather beautiful girl. She was on the shorter side, with blonde hair that was styled into twin tails that ended in drills. She had fair skin, not so white that I'd say she's pale, but she definitely didn't spend too much time in the sun. I leaned towards her slightly. "I'm Yuri, Yuri Kallen." Her eyes widened upon the mention of my clan name. "And, considering that being run into is how I managed to meet a beautiful girl like yourself, I think I can look past it this time." I could see my compliment had the desired effect, as her face became tinged with a flush of embarrassment. Before she could respond I spoke, "Well, you seemed pretty eager to speak with me, so why don't you start with the simplest of your questions?" I offered. She nodded in agreement.

She began asking a string of questions:

"How old are you?"

"17."

"Who are your parents?"

"I am the eldest son of Asuka and Lars Kallen."

She stopped, looking at me with a look of even greater interest than she previously had.

"That means you're the child of the great General, I suppose that means you are the one who was born with the Snow Dragon inside of you?"

I smiled leaning back once again, nodding in the affirmative.

"Shiraiyuki Ryu is my weapon partner, my bond with her is unbreakable."

She smiled. I stopped for a moment. Shiraiyuki had awoken in the back of my mind.

 _ _Mmmmm, where are we, why is it so loud?__ These questions were directed at no one in particular. _ _And who's the pretty girl?__ She directed this to me. __Her name is Ravel, she... slammed into me while I was purchasing provisions.__ She gave a slight yawn. __May I speak with her?__ I looked to Ravel. "Yuki wants to talk with you, if that's alright."

She nodded, a look of pure excitement plain on her face, "I've never spoken to a dragon before." She said nervously. "Which side would you prefer, Yuki?" I asked this despite already knowing the answer. __Left.__ She responded happily. "Alright, __Share.__ " I felt the left side of my face grow cold, an indication that Yuki had taken, as well as my left eye losing its sight. Ravel's eyes grew wide as she noticed my left eye change in color. "Ah, that eye color is beautiful. "I won't deny that I am quite partial to the color of my eyes, young lady." Yuki said in a voice that must have sounded quite strange considering it was coming from my mouth. I felt something slightly sinister as Yuki had a thought. "Do you mind if I ask you a question Miss Ravel?" Yuki asked. If you could see her face, she'd have a glint of sadism in her eye. I knew Yuki, and I knew that more than anything she loved to tease people, even those who couldn't hear her. Despite that, I had no idea she was going to ask the question she did. "So, Ravel, did you really find my partner so attractive that you had to football tackle him outside of a convenience store in order to have an excuse to introduce yourself to him?" I stopped, stunned at the question. Ravel eyes were wide with shock. Her face contemplated a way to answer this, but upon remembering that I could still hear what she was saying, her face began to burn a deep red with unbridled embarrassment. I couldn't believe that Yuki would ask such a strange question. However, the answer that Ravel gave shocked me just as much as the question. "I... I... I find... Yuri... attractive, but... me running into him was a complete accident, I swear!" She nearly shouted. The look on her face told me she wasn't joking, she was being completely heartfelt. I felt the right side of my face burning with a deep blush, unable to stop myself from adopting a silly grin. I wasn't exactly used to being complimented by females. I felt my heart begin to beat faster. "Alright Yuki, I don't think teasing her is a good way to start a conversation with her." I look to Ravel, unsure of how to speak with her considering the recent compliment she gave me. "I apologize for her putting you in that position." She shifted her eyes away from me, a slight smile that screamed 'I can't believe I just said that out loud' plain on her lips. "It's okay, I know she's only messing around." She replied.

"Yuri?" Yuki asked. "What is it?" I said, thinking that I may know what she wanted. "Where are we sleeping tonight? The storm outside doesn't seem to be letting up, and it's not like we have anywhere to stay." I gave a short sigh. "I'm not really sure Little One" I gave a meek smile, "I can't really think of anywhere we can stay that can keep us out of the rain." She sighed as well. Ravel's perked up slightly."You don't have anywhere to stay?" She questioned. "No, unfortunately I haven't been really staying in a home since I left the village 8 months ago." I explained. "There are no other members of the 30 Clans outside of the village, so I have no one that I truly feel familiar with and can share a home with." She looked thoughtful for a moment, she stood up quickly and looked to me. "Can you wait here for a moment?" She asked. I nodded, interested in exactly what she had in mind.

Ravel walked over to the front of the cafe, pulled out a small phone and began dialing a number. She seemed to wait, and then acted with joy upon the other line responding. She seemed to be chatting intensely with whoever was on the other side. The conversation went on for a few minutes and although I couldn't hear what was being said between them, ended with Ravel seeming to profusely thank whoever she was speaking to. She nearly bowled over the waitress on her way back. She stopped at the table beaming at me. At this point Yuki had retired back into my subconscious. I looked up to her. "So, what happened?" I asked, eager to see what she was so excited about. "I was speaking with my Mother." She said, seeming a bit nervous. "Okay, and this has resulted in?" I asked, a bit of exasperation in my voice. "Would you like to stay with me and my family?"

This question came rather unexpectedly. I stopped and thought about it for a moment. Logically speaking, Issei's house was closer to the school and Ravel's home was likely in the Underworld, meaning I will have a bit of a ways to travel. The most significant problem with Issei's home was the fact that I could not train in any way if I lived there. Ravel's home however, would likely be more accepting of my extreme training methods. And then there was the thing I was less likely to express to her, I found her very attractive, and I had to fight to keep myself from blushing from the fantasies I was forming in my head. I shook the thoughts from my mind, and stood, facing her. With a smile I gave her my answer. "I'd be honored to be a guest in your home for the time being, however I refuse to stay in your home without giving you anything in return, so if, after a month or so, I feel as if there is nothing I can give or do that is of equal value in my opinion, I will leave, and it may be completely without warning, is that agreeable?" I stated. My sole reason for this was so I had an out if I began to fall prey to my own instincts. Ravel was young, and I really didn't want to take advantage of her good nature. She smiled, apparently happy with the terms I had stated. "I can agree to that." She said plainly. As we stood to leave, I couldn't help but think that maybe this wasn't such a great idea. I smiled, silently wondering what exactly this girl was planning.

 ** **Damn, that introduction to the story took A LOT longer than I anticipated, perhaps because I really like to articulate even the most inconsequential shit. If you did read this, I really hope you enjoyed. More importantly, I hope you stick around. If this chapter has been published, then I've already started on Chapter 2. If you came here from The Void, I've started work on the next chapter of that as well. Anyway, whether you enjoyed it or not, give me a review and tell me exactly what you thought about it. Appreciate it.****


	2. Chapter 2 - Defender

**First of all, apologies for not uploading anything, my laptop crashed due to physical damage to my hard drive, this has set me back a significant amount, especially considering that almost 13 separate chapters of the things I had written and was hoping to space out uploads. Oh well, there is some good to this. I had a chance to think over what I had written, and I've decided to go in a different direction than I had the first time I wrote the chapter. I you enjoy the new and in my opinion improved chapters to come. BTW, I've been playing The Witcher 3 since my laptop crashed, and it reminded me how much I love Witcher lore, so you may see a new series based on that start in a few weeks or so.**

"What are we doing here?" Ravel asked with a huff. I looked up at the large skyscraper with a slight smirk. I found it humorous how quickly her attitude changed once I agreed to stay with her. "Now, now, I have to gather two things, be patient, YOU were the one who asked for my presence at your home if I recall." I stated calmly. _Eden, Baphomet, we're to leave this place._ I stood for a moment. As I stood waiting I felt a familiar burning sensation on my hands, as I looked down expectantly, my left hand erupted in white flame, and my right hand in black. The white flame leapt from my fingers to the earth below. The black flame receded up my arm, melding into my chest. The white flame sat below my fingers and continued to grow. I smiled as the flame transformed from a formless mass into my white-haired partner. The girl stood slightly shorter than a meter. She was nude, much to my chagrin, as always. The only reason that I even allowed it was due to her long, flowing white hair that covered the vast majority of her body. I normally wouldn't care about it, but Ravel was with us. "Eden, clothe yourself please." I told her. She smiled. "Okay Papa." Her response came. She snapped her fingers and a white flame shot across her body clothing her in a baby blue gown that made her white, pupil-less eyes seem to shine with life. She turned and finally noticed Ravel's presence. Eden leapt in front of me, hands charged with magic energy. "Protect Papa!" She nearly screamed. I grabbed her arms with hands and pinned them behind her back. "Hush Eden, she's a friend." I commanded bluntly. "Friend, Papa?" I nodded. She calmed down slightly. I picked her up in my arms and squeezed her. "You're such a good daughter, always thinking of your father first." This action earned a giggle and a hug from the tiny girl. "Call?" She asked me. "Her name is Miss Ravel." I told her. "Miss... Ravel... Okay Papa." I turned to Ravel and gave her a smile. "This should be everything, shall we be going?"

We walked down the street at a leisurely pace. Eden had taken her preferred place atop my shoulders, and Ravel paced herself alongside me. I turned my head towards her. "You used a portal to travel here correct?" I asked. Ravel nodded, skipping on her feet slightly to keep up with my longer stride. "The portal we use to travel to this area is in the park near the school." She stated. I smiled happily. _At least it won't be too much trouble to walk to the academy._ I looked to Ravel, she had a rather uncomfortable look on her face. "Are you alright?" I asked, slightly concerned. "Well... you called Eden your daughter... so who is her mother?" She said. I smiled slightly. "My and Eden's relationship is strange. She contracted to me when I was born, but when I turned 12, she reverted to an infant form, when she turned 3 in her new cycle, she asked me to act as her father and I agreed." I reached up and ran my finger through the small child's hair. She yawned quietly and laid her head down on my hair. "It's alright hon, we'll be there soon." As we turned the corner, the park came into view. "Before we go, is there anything I need to know about your home?" I was merely asking as a formality, in case there were family problems that I should steer clear from. She shook her head no. We waited for a moment to ensure we wouldn't be seen. She exclaimed slightly in surprise. "I nearly forgot, hold out your hand Yuri." She asked. I complied, offering my right hand to her. She pressed her index finger to the underside of my palm. I began to feel a slight warmth. She retracted her finger back and I looked at my palm. What looked like a brand had appeared on my palm, in the shape of a small phoenix. "This will allow you to pass through any of our portals at will." She stated. "Is that so? Once again I am in your debt, Miss Ravel. Hopefully I will soon find an adequate way of repaying you for your kindness." I said with a deep bow. With nothing further to delay us, she activated the portal and we stepped through.

The trip was instant, as portals often were. It seemed as though we were brought to the entrance to the grounds of her home. It took my eyes a moment to get adjusted after the brilliant flashes of light that accompanied portal travel. I could feel the shock on my face start to die down after a moment. Ravel laughed, obviously finding my stress humorous. "What, do you get portal-sick?" I shook my head. "No, that was my first time traveling through a portal." I replied. She looked at me amazed. "The 30 Clans villages are in Siberia aren't they? How did you get all the way to Japan if you didn't use a portal?" She questioned. I smiled at her confusion. "I walked." I replied truthfully. "Speaking of walking, we can walk and have our conversation at the same time." I said with a smirk. With that we started the short trek down the path to her home. As it came into view I looked in awe. It was 3 stories, front to back, and must have had roughly 40,000 sq. ft. of space. "Your home is incredible, Miss Ravel." I said. "It looks quite large even from here does it not? It actually only has 5 main bedrooms." She replied. "Really? How many of your family members stay here?" I asked curiously. "I, my 3 brothers, and my parents." She answered. "Speaking of which, there's my mother." She chirped. I looked up and sure enough, a woman was standing in the large courtyard immediately before their home.

Ravel ran up to the courtyard to meet the woman, who responded by embracing the girl in a warm hug. I walked towards them and her mother broke away after a moment. I stood as she silently looked me up and down. She smiled, seemingly pleased with me. "So, you're the young man who's attracted my little daughter's attention. I can definitely see why she finds you good looking." She said with a light giggle. Ravel's face was overcome with a deep blush. I looked at Ravel's mother. She looked a lot like an older Ravel, which I found to be quite appealing. I returned her smile, along with a bow, realizing that she was teasing Ravel, I decided to tease as well. "Yuri Kallen, Mrs. Phenex, and I'll do my very best to ensure Ravel gets to experience all of my other... wonderful qualities, you have my word." I said. Her mother and I were instantly overcome with a fit of laughter. A sharp cough from Ravel broke us from our short lived hysterics. Mrs. Phenex looked up to Eden. "Who's this little one?" She asked sweetly. "This is Eden, ma'am, she serves as my offensive contract spirit, she is also my adopted daughter." I replied. Eden looked at Mrs. Phenex and gave her a smile. "I protect Papa." Eden informed her happily. Mrs. Phenex smiled content with her answer. "Well Mr. Kallen, you're to sleep in Ravel's room. Will that be alright?" She asked. "Well, I don't have any objections unless it would make Ravel uncomfortable." I said, looking to Ravel. "I'll be fine with you there." She said with a smile. "Very well Ravel, show him your room." Mrs. Phenex requested. As we made our way into the manor, I couldn't help but wonder if the rest of Ravel's family were so eccentric.

 **This marks the end of Chapter 2, I'm rather excited to do the next chapter where Yuri meets the rest of Ravel's family. Who knows how they may react to the newest presence in their home. If you enjoyed, be sure to leave a review telling me what you liked and what you didn't. I've also decided that EVENTUALLY I'll start another story with Yuri and Gabriel. Since we don't know much about her, it makes creating her character all the more fun. Looking forward to hearing from you. Thanks for reading.**


	3. Chapter 3 - Home

**Holy shit, 2 uploads in two days? Maybe, it might just be tomorrow morning when you read this... (Morning for me at least, which is around 7:30 pm.) oh well I tried, I think I have an idea of how I want to schedule my writing and uploading, I just have to get some time to get it underway. Anyway, this is chapter 3 of SD & FP. BTW if you are any of the followers from The Void, I haven't stopped writing it, I just have a couple of changes I want to make to the original chapter, after a review of it, I'm not exactly happy with how it was written, so I'm simply going to start over. Whatever, hope you enjoy. And thank you Writer-San for your continuous reviews, it's good to know that people actually want to interact. Cheers to you fam.**

As we took our leave of Ravel's mother, Ravel made well certain that I saw the angry glare she directed towards me. I turned to her, she used no words but her point was well made. _Are you seriously going to tease me the entirety of your time here._ She seemed genuinely upset. "Look, I'm sorry for teasing you, but would you prefer my first interaction with your family to be awkward?" I asked. She huffed at me, obviously unwilling to let it go so easily. She huffed, apparently conceding that my point made sense. "Okay, I suppose a good first impression is important." She sighed then smiled. "Do you really see me in that way? She asked. I looked at her. "I'm... not exactly sure that I follow your line of thinking?" I replied. "Do you see me in a perverted way?" She asked. I turned and pushed my face close to hers. This caused her to blush heavily. I backed away, grinning, and turned around. "Would you prefer it if I didn't?" She scoffed. "I don't see why interest from you would make anything any different for me." I laughed. "Is that so? Then I suppose I'm free to fantasize about you as I wish?" I asked. She blushed even more intensely. "Dinner will be starting soon, we should get ready. Also, please don't embarrass me while we're eating, if you could be so kind." She said. I bowed deeply, this time being completely serious. "You have my word milady." She seemed satisfied with that, and we walked inside.

The house was incredibly ornate, Victorian style, and the amount of space was even greater than it seemed from outside. "Wow, your home is wonderful." I said. She seemed to appreciate the deviation from our earlier topic. "Despite living here for my entire life, I've always found my home very interesting." I looked to the large stairs, there seemed to be branching paths all over this manor. "Which way is our room?" I asked. _Our... it feels... odd to say that, but I'm sure I'll get used to it._ "It's up the stairs the left. Then it's the third door on the left." She said after some thought. I bowed to her. "Once again, I'm appreciative of the assistance you've provided me with." I said. "Once again, it's my pleasure, it's not like we're wanting for space in this home." She said with a bright smile. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to prepare for dinner." She told me. "Until dinner then." I said.

We parted ways and I took the stairs up and then the left path. This way seemed a lot less complex. 5 rooms in all, 2 on the right and 3 on the left. _I'm going to work off of the assumption that her parents marriage is amicable. So, she must have 3 siblings._ I did as Ravel had instructed and took the 3rd door to the left. _Yeah, this seems like Ravel's room._ There wasn't anything extraordinary about her room... but it definitely had her scent. I felt my mind dull. " _Yuri? Are you really going to go Primal here?"_ Yuki asked me. "That's um, my mind reacting to Ravel's perfume. I said. I couldn't help but blush considering the exchange that Ravel and I had not 5 minutes ago. I regained myself after a moment. "Eden, Baphomet. Come on out." They complied, Eden emerged first, wearing a frilly gray dress that stopped just short of her ankles. I had to admit, she looked adorable. She raised her arms up towards me. "Papa, ready." She said. I lifted the small girl over my shoulders where she always seemed to want to be. Baphomet came second, I looked as the tall shadow man manifested in front of me. He stood at an enormous 8 feet. "Master, if it's not a bother, I would prefer to be absent from the dinner." He asked. "As you wish." I answered. "Yuki, I think it would be better for everyone if we wait until we are in the dining hall for you to manifest." I told her. Yuki agreed silently.

I stopped and wonder for a moment. What would be the ideal manner of dress for this occasion. "Yuki, could you get me something more... suitable?" I asked. Already knowing what I had in mind, she prepared the change for me. _"Here, I hope you like it."_ I felt the fabrics on my skin as the twisted and shaped themselves into a different form, then I watched as a dark suit manifested itself onto my skin. I looked at myself in Ravel's mirror. _Huh, I never thought black would look any good on me._ " _Well, I guess you were wrong, eh?"_ Yuki giggled. I ran my fingers through my hair, trying to make it look presentable. I kept at it for about 3 minutes until I heard a knock at the door. "Yuri, are you decent?" I heard Ravel's voice, I put Eden down. "Yeah, you can come in." I replied. The door opened. "Sorry for the interruption, but I thought that I should inform you on who will be at dinner." She said. "Ahh, I see, that would be nice." She turned and closed the door behind her.

"Alright, you've already met my mother, so she's aware that you're here. My father is aware as well, but my 3 brothers are completely oblivious to your presence as far as I know." She said. I looked at her, she had changed her pink dress for a light blue one in the same style. She seemed to notice that I was staring. "What, is there a problem with the way I look?" She seemed offended. I looked at her surprised. "On the contrary, you look gorgeous." I told her. Her face reddened with a blush. But her eyes gave me a stern glare. "Are you going to do this at dinner. Make me look like a fool?" I smiled. "Only if you continue to look this beautiful." The blush on her face deepened, but her gaze softened slightly. She sighed "I'll put up with your constant teasing when we're alone, but promise you won't do it when we're in my family's presence." I looked at her. She really didn't want to show this side of her to her family. Although I felt as though teasing her like I did my sister would be fun, I was unfamiliar with her family, and unsure of how they would react to my antics. _It would be best if I do as she says._ I thought to myself. I took a deep breath. "Alright, you have my word." I said to her. "Then we should go, they're likely to be waiting for us." I nodded, and with that we were off.

We arrived at the dining hall door shortly after. Ravel stopped. "I need to go in first so I can introduce you." I nodded to her. She opened the door. I she then turned and motioned for me to step in which I did. I did a quick head count. There were 5 people at the table as Ravel had said previously. One man of age, he wasn't old by any measure, but he was undeniably the oldest of the men at the table. The other men were situated across from the parents, they looked to be relatively close in age, the tallest seemed around 25, the middle seemed about 23, and the youngest about 20. The father stood up and smiled at. "And here is my daughter, bringing with her our esteemed guest." He gestured towards me. I bowed my head. "Well, Mr. Kallen, you've met my wife, no?" He asked. I nodded towards her with a smile. "I've had the pleasure, yes." He smiled again, turning towards his sons. "These are my sons, from left to right: First is Reyes, second is Ruval, and third is Riser. I nodded towards them, and all except Riser returned the gesture in kind.

Lord Phenex returned his gaze to me. "Well, now, Yuri here is from the 30 Clans, where they train to be warriors and nothing more. So, I'd have you tell me and Riser just exactly what you think of defeat, in order to settle an argument we've been having." He said. I looked at him for a moment. "Defeat, huh? I know that as a warrior many would think that I find defeat to be unacceptable." I smiled. "But, in fact my proudest moment was the only time I was ever defeated." I laughed. Lord Phenex smiled. "Elaborate please." I nodded.

"I had been teaching my sister to fight since she had turned 8, we trained for 3 years, and in between training I would judge her progress by sparring with her. The last time we sparred she was 11 years old, and she absolutely floored me with her progress." I laughed. "It was the handy defeat she served me that made me realize three things." I said. "Which were?" Lord Phenex asked, interested. "That one: I'm not invincible. Two: A teacher loves to see their student surpass them. And three: The only way to really become as strong as you can, is to train yourself." I said. "Three weeks after that defeat, I left the village and entered the Siberian wasteland where I trained and survived for 2 years before returning to my home. Then, 2 months after I returned, I fought my sister one last time and, then I left the village, permanently." I said.

"How did the last fight with your sister go?" The oldest son, Reyes asked. I smiled. "She had improved even more than I expected in the time I had left. But when we fought, my training had made me so much stronger than I had anticipated, it felt as though she were an ant." I said. "Is that so... well then, Yuri, would you grant my son Riser the honor of being your opponent in a sparring session?" Lord Phenex asked. I looked at him, considering the request for a moment. I sighed, a wistful smile on my face. It had been a while since I had last sparred, I had missed it in truth. "Certainly, how about this Wednesday?" I asked. "That suits me fine." Riser said with a scoff. "Wonderful!" Lord Phenex beamed. "Well then, a toast to the newest member of our house, Yuri Kallen!" Lord Phenex raised his glass, as did the others. They drank from their glasses happily. The rest of the dinner went quietly as we enjoyed our food. I couldn't but feel a pair of eyes on me the entire meal, but looking around at the others I found nothing occasional glances. I put my at ease and finished my meal.

After the meal was done, we all decided to retire for the night. As we walked back to our room, I couldn't help but notice the change in Ravel's mood. Before we ascended the stairs she spoke up. "That went much better than I had hoped." She said. "Really, did you have that little faith in me?" I asked with a smile. "Well, considering how you act towards me..." She started. "Alright, alright I get it, I already promised you about the teasing." I reminded her. "That you did, thank for refraining while at dinner." She added. "Of course, it's not like I'd so freely break a promise." I said. "Well I certainly hope not." She laughed. "So... have you given any consideration to how I'm to repay you for this kindness?" I asked. "Well... I have "something" I mind, but you'll need to wait until Thursday for me to decide if I wish to offer it or not." She told me. "Very well, I hope it's nothing too indecent." I teased. She smiled. "You would just love that, wouldn't you?" She teased back. "Oh my, is that... banter? From Miss Ravel?" I laughed. "I'm getting used to your games." She said with a grin.

By this time we had reached the room. "If you'd like I'll wait out here while you change Miss Ravel, unless you'd prefer my company." I said. Despite her claims to being used to my games, she blushed rather heavily. "No thank you, Yuri." She said. "I'll be fine on my own." She added. "If you say so. Just don't take too long, I'd like to get some sleep." I told her. "Very well, I'll be just a moment." She said, closing the door. "Yuki, could you get me something to sleep in?" I asked with a small yawn. _"You aren't usually tired at this hour, everything okay?"_ She asked with obvious concern. "Of course, I'm fine Yuki, it's just been quite a day." I smiled. _"Here."_ I felt the suit on my skin shift as the fabrics gave way to energy. A moment later, a silk shirt and bottoms had replaced the suit. I marveled for a moment at the soft clothes. "You're a damn miracle worker, Yuki." I said. She snorted, obviously pleased with my praise. _"I do try my very best for you."_ She said. "Alright Yuri! I'm ready." I turned at hearing Ravel's voice, and opened the door.

I looked around the room for the second time, not much had changed, if you didn't count the large bed that had been moved opposite Ravel's. It was large, likely a king size. It was covered with a pattern-less white sheet and a deep black blanket. "That's the bed from the guest bedroom, it's never been used so it's very clean." Ravel informed me. Well that's... wait, guest bedroom? _Why would they put me in a room alone with a girl if there was a guest bedroom?_ I thought for a moment, and after banishing a few perverted thoughts from my head, decided it was best not to question the ones who were allowing me to stay in their home.

Eden manifested next to me and leapt onto the bed, Yuki manifested moments later, she was definitely small for a dragon, head to tail she was only 6 feet, she sauntered over to the corner nearest my bed and curled up. "Night." She said, before instantly falling asleep. I sat on the bed's edge. Soft, so soft that just sitting on it made it hard to resist drifting off right then and there. I looked to Ravel. "Be honest with me here, are you sure you're comfortable sleeping in the same room as me?" I asked. She smiled. "Being honest? I think I'll be okay with you here... In fact, I think I may feel safer. She blushed at her own comment. I smiled, laying my head against the pillows on the bed. Ravel had already turned off the lamp on her side of the room. "Well, if it helps you to slumber, then know that I'm right here." I told her. She laughed quietly. "Goodnight, Yuri." She said. I pulled the covers over Eden as she lay down beside me, before sliding myself underneath the blanket, then reached over to turn out the light. "Goodnight, Miss Ravel." I replied. I spent the next few minutes stroking Eden's hair, as she always slept soundly when I did so. She looked up at me in the darkness. "Papa...home?" She asked. I thought for a moment. _It's been quite a while since we had a definitive living arrangement._ I leaned down and kissed Eden on the forehead. "Yes sweetheart... we're home."

 **And that's chapter 3, roughly 2500 words, apologies for it being so late, my brother's graduation party was today, and there were far too many people to write, let alone have a clear head. I hope you enjoyed this one, if you did be sure to follow if you don't already.**

 **Cheers.**


	4. Chapter 4 - Request

**This chapter should be up by next morning, but if it's not, what can you do, I have to sleep, as much as I'd like to stay up forever and write. Oh, and jsyk, the next chapter will be done in Ravel's perspective to start. I've been playing a fuck-ton of the Witcher 3. I'm really considering doing a story from that series, as I've read the novels and played all of the games, so I'm rather well versed in the universe.**

I awoke the next morning to find Eden sprawled over top of me. The lack of weight reminding me just how small she was. I looked at the ceiling of the room for a moment to allow my body to awaken fully. After I felt able, I slowly lifted Eden off of my chest and laid her back down on the bed. After pulling the blanket back over her sleeping form, I stretched my arms over my head and gave long yawn. Yuki, noticing the noise, pulled her head from underneath her wing and blinked a few times. I walked over to the small dragon and put my hand on the top of her head stroking the small horns on the backside. "Morning partner, you sleep okay?" I asked. A huff of appreciation was all the reply I needed. I smiled. "Glad to hear it." I looked over at Ravel. She seemed to be sleeping peacefully, other than the fact that she had thrown off her sheets and was shivering. I tugged the sheet to test if she would awaken. She didn't seem to react, so I pulled her blankets back up to her chin. She smiled in her sleep, likely grateful for my assistance.

By this time Eden had awakened, likely aware of my lack of being in the bed with her. She huffed softly as her eyes opened. Her pure white, pupil-less eyes fit her much better than one my expect. As her eyes fell on me, her tight lipped mouth spread into an excited smile. "Papa." She said. I walked over to her and wrapped her in my arms. She laughed as this, wrapping her arms around my neck. She stayed there for a moment before looking at me. She put her hand on her stomach. "Eden hungry." She stated. "Okay, it's morning, we'll see if we can't get someone to make you something." I put her down and took her hand, leading her to the door. She turned to Ravel and pointed. "Take Mama?" She asked. I felt my eyes shoot open. "When... did she say you could call her that?" I asked. She shrugged. "Ravel Mama." She said matter-of-factly. I sighed. I'm not sure if Ravel was aware of this change in Eden's behavior, in fact I was rather sure this was the first time anyone was hearing about this. "Oh well, we aren't going to take her to get food, but when we get back, you need to ask her if she's okay with you calling her Mama, alright?" I asked. "'Kay." She said.

She took her place on my shoulders and we made our way down to the dining hall. The door was slightly ajar so I pushed it open. "Ahh, Yuri, good morning." Lord Phenex was sitting at the end of the table with a light breakfast on the plate in front of him. "Forgive me for the intrusion, and good morning to you as well." I said with a bow. He raised his hand in protest. "Please, the bowing is not necessary, and if you don't mind, please refer to me as Father." He said. My face must have shown an obvious confusion, as he elaborated further. "If my daughter was willing to trust you and bring you into our home, then you're already a part of my family." He said with a smile. "Papa." Eden protested. Lord Phenex's eyes fell on Eden. "Who... is the child?" He asked me. "Ahh, that would make sense, I forgot to introduce her during dinner. This is Eden, she is my offensive spirit, and for all intents and purposes, my daughter." I informed him. A smile formed on his face. "What is it she desires?" He asked. "That would be food." I told him. "It doesn't matter what, just as long as it's something you'd give a child."

He seemed to think for a moment, then called over a servant. Moments later, a full plate of eggs and biscuits was brought to the table. Eden immediately began to stuff her face full of food. The sight caused Lord Phenex to burst into laughter. "My my, does she not eat?" He asked. I laughed in return. "Well I'd feed her more if she'd actually eat it, but it seems that she only really eats about once every few weeks, and even then it's just for pleasure." I said. "I see, you said she was your offensive spirit, and I'm aware of Shirayuki, who is your Birth Partner... but I also noticed another presence when you arrived... did you come here with another spirit?" He asked. "My armor spirit, Baphomet, is with us as well, but... he's not social, and his abilities are so useful that... I tend to let him do as he pleases." I said. "Papa, done." Eden said. I picked up the napkin on my left and started to wipe Eden's face. After I was finished, Lord Phenex cleared his throat. "Alright, down to the matter at hand, I have two requests to make of you this day, Yuri." He said.

"Very well, what would you have of me?" I asked. I was rather curious, I could think of a few things he may ask me, but I also doubted the likelihood of some of them. "Well, I know that it would seem that as you are sparring my son, I would ask you to throw the fight for him." He paused, a smile on his face. "However... it's quite the opposite, I want you to do all in your power to win on Wednesday." He said. Forgive me for my misjudging you, Father. "I can't promise that I use ALL of my power, but I can ensure that your son will not win." I said with a grin. "Well, I suppose I can accept that." He said. "So what's the other thing that you have need of me for?" I asked, curious. He sighed. "Well, it's kind of... difficult to request of you, being from the 30 Clans." He said before continuing. "But it's rather simple what I need of you, I was invited to a gathering in Underworld on this coming Saturday, and was intending on taking my wife... however, there is business of a personal matter that we have to complete with the Gremory Clan, but it would be rude of me not to send anyone. However I also fear sending Ravel by herself." He said.

"Ravel is the only one not required to be at the Gremory household, and I'd hate to not send anyone in MY stead, so would it trouble you to take Ravel with you there while we are gone?" He asked. He seemed really beat up about it. "Well... I'm not exactly versed in the politics of the New Devils, but that's not excuse not to learn... I suppose... it wouldn't be any trouble." I said.

He smiled at this. "I truly appreciate your cooperation. It's not as though you'll have to make any speeches or anything, and I'll tell my friend that I'm sending you and Ravel as to prevent any... awkward situations." He said. "Well that is rather reassuring." "Now if you'll excuse me, I wish to begin training as soon as I can." He nodded towards the foyer. "The third floor can be reached at the end of the hall where our rooms are." He said. "Wonderful, have a good day, Father." I said. _It feels kind of odd to call him that, but it actually feels natural._ Perhaps I may get used to this place faster than I expected. With that, I made my way back to our room. I opened the door to find Ravel already awake. Eden ran and jumped on her bed wrapping her arms around Ravel's neck. "Mama!" She said happily. "Mama?" Ravel asked looking at me. I shrugged. "She called you that this morning, not exactly sure where it came from though." I said. She smiled. "I suppose it's alright with me." She said with a giggle. Her face adopted a more serious look as she turned to me.

"We need to talk." She said, motioning for me to sit beside her. I did, Eden sat between us happily whistling away. "You can't fight my brother, he's too strong." I felt my eyes open wide with shock. "Are you really worried about me?" I asked. "Of course I'm worried! You don't have any idea how strong Riser is!" She said, before continuing. "My father's impulsive, and I know he wasn't thinking about safety when he asked you to spar with Riser, and I think it's stupid that you might get hurt just because-" I put my hand over her mouth and pulled her into me with my free hand. I pressed my forehead to hers. "I... am going to be just fine, I promise." I told her smiling.

I let go of her mouth. An instant later she realized how close my face was to hers and began blushing. "Do you really need to be this close?" I grinned pushing my mouth as close as I could to hers. "It's absolutely essential... besides, it's not like you're pulling away." I told her. Her eyes widened. I pulled back. "Oh, that reminds me, your father told me about a gathering he was invited to. However he, your mother, and your brothers are needed elsewhere, so he asked me to go in his stead." I told her. "I see, although I'm not exactly certain why he'd send you, seeing as how you aren't well versed in politics yet." She said. "I agree with that statement, however, I think it may be more bearable for me if I had you with me." I told her. She blushed again. "Well if you really want me with you... I guess I'm willing to go, when is it?" She asked. "It's... next Saturday, so you have time to think about whether you really want to go or not." I said. She nodded, apparently appreciative of the extra time. "Oh... could you do me a favor?" I asked. "Well, I suppose it depends on the favor." She said, interested. "I just need you to take care of Eden for the next two days while I train." I said.

She seemed to consider it for a moment. "Is there anything special I need to do?" She asked. "No, you just have to keep an eye her for me, she doesn't even need food... please, I really don't want to leave her alone." She smiled at this. "You're quite cute when you're worried, okay I'll watch her." She said. I felt my face get hot. I stood and wrapped Ravel in my arms. Partly due to her teasing and partly due to being grateful. "Thank you, with that I'll be going." I said. "Already?" She asked. I picked Eden up and kissed her cheek. "Yeah, I'd like to start training now... hate to disappoint your father." I said. I looked at Eden. "Stay with Mama." I told her. She smiled and looked at Ravel. "'Kay Papa." She asked looked at me again with a sad face. "Papa... come back?" She asked. I put my hand on her head and stroked her hair. "Yes, my wonderful daughter... I'll be back." I turned and walked out the door, giving Ravel and Eden a wave before closing it behind me. I walked down the hall and opened the door hiding the stairs to the 3rd floor. _Yuki and Baphomet can take care of themselves, I just Eden behaves herself. Eh, Ravel will be fine, I believe in her._ I smiled, time to focus on training.

 **Final word count, just over 2000, next chapter will be from Ravel's perspective... and no... I won't be covering Yuri's training at all. I want the first time anyone see's him fight to be when he faces Riser in the next few chapters. I hope you all enjoyed.**

 **Cheers.**


	5. Chapter 5 - Spark

**Fuck I should be sleeping, but no, I stayed up to watch Besthesda's E3 Showcase, Fallout 4 this FUCKING year and I'm so goddamn ready. Anyway, this chapter is from Ravel's perspective. I hope you enjoy. Next chapter is gonna be a LOT of fun to write.**

After Yuri closed the door, I laid back on the bed and sprawled out. I moved my hand to my lips. _He... almost kissed me... I'm glad he stopped when he did... I think I would have fainted._ I sighed, running my fingers across my temples. Eden sat down next to me. She pulled me up by my hands. _Wow she's strong._ She wrapped her arms around me. "Mama... happy." She said. I felt my body go slightly numb... then I felt a wave of pleasure across my forehead... it was quite pleasant. "Oh my, she's quite taken with you." Came a voice from across the room. I looked towards the sound. _Who is that? She sounds familiar._ I looked at the girl who was sitting on Yuri's bed. She had waist-length, light blue hair and bright silver eyes. But the most striking feature was her height. Yuri looked to be about 5 foot 9, and this girl seemed less than an inch shorter. "Who are-" I started. "Yuki." She said bluntly. _That makes a lot of sense actually._ "Ummm... what are you talking about with Eden?" I asked. "I saw it on your face, Eden shared her happiness with you, like she does with Yuri."

"I'm not sure I understand." I said. "It's simple, if Eden likes someone, she'll imprint on them, then if she feels happy, the people she has imprinted on will feel that happiness." Yuki said. "You are the second person she imprinted on." She added. "Who was the first?" I asked. "Silly girl... her loving father of course." She laughed. Eden had fallen asleep, so I shifted her slightly so she was resting on my lap. "Eden is so incredibly devoted to Yuri, she imprinted on him when she was reborn." She said, smiling. "She must really love him." I said. Yuki nodded. "All of us do, we are all devoted to Yuri's desires, even Baphomet." She smirked. "Speaking of... love... Miss Ravel, what are your feelings on my partner?" Yuki asked.

I felt my face burning hot with embarrassment. "W...w...well." I sighed. "Okay, I can tell YOU, as long as you don't tell him." I said. She smiled earnestly. "Alright, you have my word on this." She promised. "Alright... just don't laugh at me." I pleaded. She nodded. "Okay... I'm not... superstitious, and when I was told about this when I was younger, I didn't give it any credence." I paused. "When I was a child, I remember my parents bringing many of the high-class devil's sons to meet me, they always asked me to tell them if I felt anything like burning in my head... I never did, and I didn't understand why until I talked to my mother about it." I said before pausing to take a breath. "Interesting, I wonder why they asked such a strange question." She thought out loud. "I'll continue, I asked my mother one about it and she gave me a pretty decent explanation. She told me about the Phenex history. More specifically, she told us about the long line of unhappy marriages that plagued the Phenex line in ancient times." Another pause, I couldn't believe I was talking about this, but I couldn't deny that it may have had some merit.

I continued again. "She talked about one of our ancestors going to the Phoenixes in the Ring of Fire, and she asked for a way to keep marriages happy, this resulted in... what we call the Spark." I said. "Which is?" Yuki asked. "It's supposed to be an indicator, of the presence of the ideal candidate for marriage." I said. "Ahhhhhh, I see... so Yuri is your "Spark" then?" I nodded slightly. "I find him... alluring... but we're so new to each other and I really don't want to base a relationship off of a feeling I get... that doesn't seem like the way to go about it." I said. Yuki seemed to ponder for a moment. I heard a noise and turned to see my mother in the doorway, bearing the largest grin I had ever seen the woman carry. "You... found your Spark?" She asked. I nodded. She looked at me for a moment, then broke out into another grin. "Yuri?" She asked. I nodded again.

She giggled like a young child getting a new toy. "I knew you seemed too eager to have him here for him to be a normal acquaintance." She said. "Well, things just kind of worked out so I could spend more time with him... oh, why am I getting this teasing from you!?" I said with a huff. "Sorry sweetie... I'm just really happy that you found a good mate... and he happens to be rather good looking too." She said. She pondered for a moment. "Maybe I'll get your father's permission to... "teach" Yuri how to treat you if you get married, huh?" She teased. "MOTHER!" I screamed at her. "Sorry... sorry, I thought you'd be in a better mood, finding a good match and all." She said. "It's not that I'm not happy... it's just really unnerving, I mean, what if he's just been teasing me, and he's not actually interested?" I asked.

"I have a suggestion." A male voice came from the window. I looked... _He's huge..._ He was, at least 8 feet tall. His body was substance-less, he seemed to be wholly spirit, with completely black aura, he was rather menacing. "Ah, Baphomet... how were your travels?" Yuki asked. "They went well, thank you. Now to the issue with Miss Ravel." The being spoke. "Master is very traditional in terms of relationships... so I recommend you ask him to take the Oath of Sacred Starlight with you." He said. Yuki gave a cry of surprise. "Wonderful idea... although it will require the two of you to journey to the village." She said. "What is the oath?" My mother asked. "Simply stated... it's a compatibility test." He said. I perked up. "So it's like the 30 Clans version of the Spark." I said. "Correct." Yuki affirmed my suspicions. I sighed. "But that doesn't make it any easier to tell him that I want to possibly pursue something... romantic?" I asked. "Well if I recall, asking someone to undergo the oath with you is a declaration of romantic interest." Yuki said. _Well... it looks like things are going to work out for me... gosh I have no idea how to ask him about it though... wait... maybe that'll work._ I smiled as an ides entered my mind... he'd have no reason to refuse if I did that.

Baphomet left soon after we decided on a course of action, and my mother went about her day. Yuki shifted back into her dragon form and curled up in the corner of the room and went back to sleep. Eden had awoken and was busy playing with my hair. She was humming happily. Each note that rang in my ears came with a small wave of pleasure. I wondered if Yuri felt these waves even when he wasn't around. Eden stopped playing with my hair and turned me to face her. "Mama?" She asked. "Yes, Eden?" She looked a little distressed. "Scared... Papa... Mama, protect Papa?" She asked. I stopped. She looked terrified. I wasn't used to understanding her speech, so it took me a moment to figure out what she meant. Finally, I gave her my answer. "If it's necessary, I promise I protect Yuri." I told her. This answer seemed to calm her down somewhat. She put her hands on my cheeks. "Eden, love Papa, no lose Papa." She said. I looked at her confused. The next thing she asked startled me. "Are you going to take Papa from me?" She asked. I nearly jumped. She had used a full sentence. I looked at her and smiled, wrapping my arms around. "If all goes well, we'll be able to share Yuri, okay?" I said. _Why did I say that? I'm not...that interested in him already am I?_ Her eyes lit up at my words. "Okay, Mama, share." She leaned forward and kissed my cheek. "Love, Mama." She said. I sighed. "You too... little one."

With that it was nearly night... and Yuri had not yet returned, my fear of his absence was allayed by Yuki informing me of Yuri's intentions to spend the entirety of Monday training as well and that he probably wouldn't sleep until Tuesday. I looked to Eden who had fallen asleep on my bed, she was adorable, and it was easy two see how her and Yuri could be so enamored with each other. She was sweet and naive, and he was kind and lighthearted. He was an ideal father to her. I smiled, laying down next to her. She curled up and pressed against me. I sighed before turning off the light. _It's actually been kind of boring without Yuri around, I think I will go with him to the gathering. I wonder what I should wear?_ As my imagination started running wild with dress ideas, I recalled what Yuri had said earlier, that he would be fine against Riser. A new though made it's way into my head. _I wonder just what kind of power Yuri has...oh well, I'll find out on Wednesday... and after that... I think I know how to appease Yuri and make sure he no longer feels indebted to us._

 **Clumsy Ravel, letting all her secrets out in one go... oh well, at least she knows that she has supporters now. But the most important thing is what the hell is Ravel planning for Yuri? I know what it is... have for a while now but you'll have to wait until next chapter to find out. I hope you enjoyed.**

 **Cheers.**


	6. Chapter 6 - Knight

**So, as of writing this SD & FP has reached around 1100 views, which is fucking crazy. Whether you stop every once in a while to read these or you read them as soon as I put them up, thanks. Anyway, this chapter will cover Yuri and Riser's fight, it'll start off in Yuri's perspective, but will change to Ravel's during the fight. (After a lot of consideration, describing the fight seems more practical as a spectator than a participant.) Hope you guys enjoy. PS. This is going to be a bit longer of a chapter.**

I breathed in deeply, letting the heavy waves of Nirvana pass through me. I felt a presence emerge in the room. I opened my eyes. "Baphomet, you've returned." I said. The being's demeanor lightened. "Good to see you Master... was that the Third Path of Nirvana?" He asked. "Yeah... I spent all of Sunday and Monday training, so I figured deepened meditation wouldn't hurt." I said. He smiled. "How do you feel?" He questioned. "Well, I feel quite tranquil right now, so it seems it worked well." I said, smiling. "How long does the meditation period last?" He asked. "I spent... roughly 8 hours in this state... so I'll have about 3 days of Battle Tranquility." I said. "Have you decided on what Sub-Species of Sacred Gear you're going to use?" He asked. He seemed quite interested in this fight. I nodded. "Is there a reason you came to see me?" I asked. He paused. "Ah, yes... Miss Ravel has requested your attention for the remainder of the day." He said.

Immediately after informing me, he bid me adieu, and disappeared. I made my way down the staircase. I reached the door to our room and knocked. "Come in Yuri." Came Ravel's voice from the other side. I opened the door, admittedly slightly nervous about what I might find. Ravel was sat atop her bed, hands clasped firmly in her lap. As her eyes fell upon me I watched as she looked up and down my figure. "You seem different." She noted. "I've been meditating, I'm in a state of Nirvana." I said. She looked at me confusedly. "Perhaps I'll explain it to you at another time, I'm assuming you didn't ask me here just to discuss the way I look." I said.

She sighed and nodded. "Two things. Firstly, I will be more than happy to accompany you to the party on Saturday." I nodded, more relieved than anything. "Secondly, despite me and my family allowing you to live in our home of our own free will, I know that you feel indebted to us... so I've determined what I'd like you to do for me in return for living here." She said. I smiled. "Enlighten me." I said. She motioned towards a table behind her. Resting on the table was a small, ornate wooden board with what looked to be tiny red figures arranged on it. "Have a seat at the table please." She requested. I did as she asked. I looked at the board, 8 of the small figure were the same, there were 7 other figures behind them. There were 3 sets of two types of figures, but there was one that had an incredibly ornate face.

Ravel walked over and knelt down, gesturing towards the board. "I'm certain you've probably never seen this before." She said. I shook my head to confirm her statement. "You want a simple run-down?" She offered. "Sure." I agreed. "After the war between the factions, when the 30 Clans broke off of the main Devil branches, we were left in a state of weakness, our largest problem was our lack of numbers. So Ajuka Beelzebub developed these... the Evil Pieces, with the power to turn humans into Devils." I nodded at her words. The 30 Clans had decided after the war to break off from the main Devils in order to live as they always wished to, as warriors. "So, I understand the Pieces now, but I'm still not sure why you're showing me this." I said. She smiled. "These Pieces not only turn humans to Devils, it also shows loyalty to the King of the Peerage." She said. Her finger tapped the open square next to the taller, ornate piece. She reached down and picked up the two pieces that were shaped like horses.

She handed them to me with a smile. "These are the Pieces of the Knight, they also happen to be Mutation Pieces, meaning they can cover twice the power that they normally would." She said. "Cover power?" I asked. "The Pieces require that you sacrifice an amount equal to the power of the person you are contracting. Also it allows Devils who aren't currently under constraint from a Peerage to enter into one. As a Devil, absorbing this piece is mainly symbiotic." She said. "So you're asking me to submit to you?" I asked. She shook her head quickly. "No... nothing like that, I'm actually offering you a position... beside me, as a partner and a protector." She said. I took the pieces from her hands. "This is what you desire of me?" I asked. She responded with a nod. "How does it work?" I asked. She gestured towards my bed. "Go lay down, and sleep. When you awaken tomorrow, it will be done." She said. I followed her instructions, making my way to my bed and positioning my self flat on my back. Sleep came quickly after that.

 ** _Ravel_**

Yuri drifted off shortly after our chat. I placed the two pieces on his chest, watching with a smile as his body slowly absorbed them. _This will be a good excuse to keep him near me._ I blushed at the the thought. Being close to him would allow me to see if there was any chemistry between us besides the Spark. I sighed. _I hope he'll be okay... no, he said he'll be fine, and he's my Peerage partner now, so I have to put my trust in him._ I nodded to myself. He'll be okay, I trust him. I felt my mind slowly tiring. I looked out the window... was it really already sundown? I shrugged and made my way to my bed. Eden walked into the room and beamed upon seeing Yuri. "Eden, Papa's sleeping, so please use my bed instead." I told her. "Okay Mama." She said before laying down next to me. "Night, Mama." She said to me. "Goodnight, Little One." I said.

The next day came much faster than expected. What WAS expected however, was the fact that Yuri had gotten up much earlier than I. He was sitting crossed-legged on the floor, his hands clasped together. He must of noticed me, as he opened his eyes and smiled. "Hello, Ravel, could you gather your family, I am prepared." He said. I stretched myself out as I stood up. "Of course, we'll meet you upstairs." He nodded. I walked to the door, turning to look at him. There was something about him that I didn't recognize, something... dark. Yuki, who had been sleeping since Yuri had started training, yawned and stood up. She looked at Yuri, smiling. She most know something about him. She looked at me. "I'll go with you." She said with a smile. With that we walked through the door.

"What's going on with him, Yuki?" I asked her as we made our way down the hall. "What? Oh, you must mean his Battle Tranquility." She said. "Yuri uses a meditation method called the 5 Path of Nirvana." She paused, ensuring that I was understanding. I nodded for her to continue. "These paths use positive emotions to bring about a state of Tranquility... however Yuri found a way to use negative emotions to achieve the same goal, because negative emotions come easier, however the downside is it magnifies the negative aura around him and makes him easier to notice." She finished. I pondered what emotions were considered negative, but before I could ask we had reached the dining hall. I opened the door to find the entirety of the family sitting at the table, waiting. "Yes, Ravel?" My father asked.

"Yuri is prepared for Riser, he's waiting on the third floor, Father." I said with a bow. He smiled. He looked over to Riser. "Excellent, Riser are you prepared to face a true warrior?" My father asked him. Riser scoffed. Yuki growled, which was quite strange coming from her human form. "Scoff when you've actually defeated my partner, Boy." Yuki said with a smirk. "The only unfortunate thing about this fight is the fact that Yuri has decided to fight without us." She added. "Yuri is to fight alone?" Father asked. Yuki nodded. "Yes, it's what he decided he wanted to do." She said. "Let's not waste time then." Father said.

The return to the third floor was quiet, but the angry tension between Yuki and my brother was more than enough to fill the silence. We stopped at our room to get Eden, who had been giggling about Yuri's fight the whole morning, and continued on our way. In what seemed no time at all we had reached the third floor. I began, once again, feeling Yuri's negative aura before the door was even open. We opened the door to find Yuri sitting on the floor. He was shirtless, with black pants that looked comfortable enough for someone to spar in. He raised his head but did not open his eyes. He somewhat of a smile on his face. The smile was somewhat unnerving, it was faint, but undoubtedly menacing. "Hello everyone... Riser... when you are ready... you may attack." He said.

Riser, obviously angered by Yuri's aloofness, lunged forward towards him. He struck outwards with his left hand, but his hand seemed to pass completely through Yuri. I must have looked shocked as Yuki and Eden both giggled at my confusion. I looked back to Yuri who had stood up, he was clutching his wrist. Moments later, a flame, appeared in his right hand. It was small, shapeless, and colorless, but it was definitely a flame. Yuri smiled at Riser. "They say that long before the creation of the Earth, the god of the bible and the Greek goddess Hephaestus met and discussed the concept of creation. After some deliberation, Hephaestus decided to let god use her forge to create a vessel for his will. Using her Forge, he created the Fires of Creation. He used the Fires to bring about the Earth and the Heavens. But not long after, the Angel Faction divided, and the Fallen Ones stole the fire from god before they left. Once they reached Earth, they stored the Fires in a human." He paused, a grin on his face. "This human's name, was Ikara Kallen."

My brother's eyes grew wide as he realized exactly what Yuri was implying. "Are you trying to tell me that you have a Sacred Gear that embodies the will of God?" He asked. Yuri laughed. "See for yourself." He vanished, and moments later a loud boom sounded, and Yuri reappeared in front of Riser. Yuri's fist slammed into Riser's stomach and Riser slammed into the wall behind him, hard. Yuri grinned and hopped backwards, landing about 5 feet away from where he hit Riser. I looked to Riser, expecting him to stand up with no problem, but he seemed to be struggling. Yuki smiled and offered an explanation. "Yuri has trained to attack energy rather than physical forms. When he was eleven, the village was attacked by immortal Dragons, and he used this technique to slay them." She said. _That's why he was so confident, he knows exactly how to fight an immortal._ I smiled. He was right, I didn't need to worry about him. Yuri turned his back on Riser, and passed the flame from his left hand to his right. The flame turned a teal green. Yuri sighed. "This was boring, and I thought it may actually be a challenge with all of the concern people have been directing towards me." He smiled at me, and I felt my face blush.

The flame in his hand began to glow. "Sub-Species: Forbidden Longinus: Alchemical." The flame spread across his body. "Let's end this in one strike." Yuri said. He disappeared again and appeared behind Riser, pinning his arms behind his back. Yuri began sucking in a large amount of air, which Yuki found alarming. "Yuri, is that technique really necessary?" She asked. He closed his mouth, cheeks bulging with air, and nodded. Yuki shrugged. "If you destroy the house, you only have yourself to blame." She said. He gulped down the air, his chest was puffed out to what seemed to be to it's limit. He spoke softly. "Balance Breaker: Archon Light: Sulfur Beam Brimstone." A red beam erupted from his mouth and engulfed Riser in his entirety.

Moments later, everything was over. Riser had slumped to the ground as though he had been eviscerated with a holy sword. Yuri walked away from Riser and over to my father. Yuki looked indifferent and then shocked. "3.5 seconds, YURI yo-" She didn't finish, I looked to Yuri who had keeled over onto his hands and knees, he coughed once, then twice, on the third, a massive amount of blood spilled from his mouth. I panicked. _So much blood, is he okay?_ It wasn't long before I felt my conscious slipped away from me, I felt my body hit the ground, and then blackness.

My thoughts returned some time after. "YURI!" I screamed.I shot up out of the bed. My actions resulted in Yuki, who was sitting next to a sleeping Yuri across the room, hushing me with a glare. I leaned over and dragged myself out of the bed. I walked over to Yuri with what must have been a look of concern on my face. Yuki smiled. "He's fine, no injuries." She said. "But the blood-" I started. "Yuri explained it like this. In order to use Brimstone, he had to sacrifice a small amount of blood to mix with the sulfur. If he doesn't maintain the beam for the correct amount of time, the blood will build up in his lungs, and he has to get it out somehow." She said. "Then why did he faint?" I asked. "Simple, he's a bit daft sometimes, and he forgot that he had to cough the blood out, so he ended up choking on the blood and suffocating before he could get it out. He'll be alright though." She said. "I promise you." She added. I smiled, happy to hear that he'd survive. I mental note to scream at him for scaring me like that, but for now I decided that getting some more sleep was priority.

 _ **Yuri**_

My eyes opened slowly. I saw Yuki to my immediate left. My face grew hot with embarrassment. "I choked on my own blood didn't I?" I asked, Yuki nodded. "You also scared the shit out of Ravel, and she fainted." Yuki said. I felt the blood drain from my cheeks. "Is she alright?" I asked. Again, Yuki nods. "She woke up about an hour ago, but she went back to sleep. She was incredibly worried about you." She said. "Hmmm, really? Then I'll need to thank for her concern. Could you stay here with Eden tomorrow? I'm going to go to class." I said. She nodded. "Sure." "Thanks, and help Ravel with anything she may need, please." I said. "Of course, Yuri. I think I see why you're fond of her." She laughed. I laughed as well. "Alright, goodnight Yuki. Eden, come on." I called. Eden got up from the table that Ravel had set the Evil Pieces on previously and ran over to me, her arms raised towards me. "Sleep with Papa?" She asked. I nodded. "Yep, come on." I said, as I switched into my silks. I pulled the blanket over myself and Eden. She pressed herself close to me. "Miss Papa." She said. I smiled, and kissed her cheek. "I missed you too little one." I said, before drifting off.

 **Well, it was kinda longer. I decided right before the fight scene that I wanted to wait for a more appropriate fight to really elaborate on Yuri's powers. For those of you who didn't understand his ability, his Sub-Species allows him to control the elements found in Alchemy. I've created 4 other Sub-Species to his Sacred Gear, one of which will be revealed at the party. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed. Much Love.**

 **Cheers.**

 **PS. Tomorrow I'm going to upload something a little different. It won't be anime/manga related, but the story sort of follows an anime plotline.**


	7. Chapter 7 - Scent

**So I just finished the main storyline for the Witcher 3 and got the best ending. So right now I'm really excited. So instead of the new thing I talked about yesterday, here's SD & FP chapter 7. Enjoy.**

 _ **Ravel**_

My eyes shot open... darkness... even us Devils had to adjust to seeing in the dark after we slept. I sighed and sat up in bed. After a moment my eyes had adjusted fully. Yuri was gone. I had begun to panic but stopped when I realized that Eden and Yuki were still in the room. I heavily doubted that Yuri would leave his spirits if he intended on leaving permanently. I sighed again. Why would he leave? He literally just agreed to be my partner in my Peerage. I pressed my hand to my face in shame. _I'm acting stupid, why do I feel like I need him near me constantly?_ I leaned back against my pillows. _I CAN'T already have feelings for him... can I?_ I shook my head... nothing... I couldn't get my mind off of him. I gave a small shriek of discontent. Yuki raised her head and looked at me. "Oh dear, what's wrong?" She asked with amusement. I pulled my pillow over my face and screamed. "WHAT I'M FEELING DOESN'T MAKE SENSE!" Yuki shifted into her human form and walked to the edge of my bed. "Yuri?" She asked. I nodded, the pillow still covering my face, I moved it down to speak clearly. "I've known him for only a few days, and yet I feel so enamored with him." I said.

Yuki pondered for a moment. "Perhaps it has something to do with the Spark?" She asked. "Maybe, I don't really know much about the Spark... so it's possible." I said. "You should talk to your mother about it, preferably before the party." She said. I thought about why for a moment, then a spark of understanding formed in my mind. I nodded. I stood up and stretched my legs. I walked to the door and turned back to Yuki. "I may need your help with something when I come back." I said. Yuki nodded and smiled. "I'll be here." She said. I closed the door behind me. _Mother should be in the dining hall with father._ I made my way down the stairs and soon found myself at the doors to the hall, and opened them slowly. Mother and Father looked at me with smiles. "What is it sweetheart?" Mother asked quietly. "May I speak with you for a moment, Mother?" I asked. Father nodded to her. She stood and walked to the door. "Let's go to the living room, child." She said.

For some reason the short walk to the living room was awkward. It felt as though Mother was eyeing me suspiciously. We entered the living room, and she took a seat on the antique couch in the middle of the room. "What's wrong Ravel?" She asked, obviously not wanting us to dwell in silence. "I have a question about the Spark, and Father." I said. "Ask away little one, I'll tell you all you wish to know." She said with a smile. "Okay, does the Spark cause a feeling of dependence?" I started. "No, any feelings of dependence you have are your own." She looked at me with a face of concern. "Are you already developing a dependence on Yuri?" She asked. I blushed. "It's starting to feel difficult to be without him." I said. "It... feels weird, since it's only been such a short time since he and I met." I told her. "That's not dependence hon, that's... love." She said. Her eyes lit up. "Let me guess... your second question has to do with how quickly I fell in love with your father?" She asked. I nodded, shocked that she had so easily deduced my question from one statement. "Almost immediately, so if you're afraid your feelings are moving too fast, don't worry." She laughed.

"So... what... do I do about it?" I asked. She smiled at me sweetly, then her face became serious. She leaned in. "You make damn sure that his heart belongs to you." She said. I leaned back a little, slightly intimidated at the prospect. "How do I do that?" I asked. "Well, you should likely talk to his partner... she seems to know a lot about him, she likely knows something about his preferences." She winked at me. "If you need any tips, you can ask me." She said. A thought occurred to me. "Mother... do you approve of Yuri?" I asked. She giggled. "Sweetheart he's wonderful, I honestly can't think of any man that's asked to marry you that I approved of. But now you've brought a man home who I think is amazing." She said. I smiled. "What do you think Father feels about him?" I asked. "I'm not sure, he seems happy that Yuri beat Riser, but as for his feelings for the two of you getting married... I don't really know, but I'll find out for you." She said, allaying my worries. With that, the conversation was more or less over. So Mother and I went our separate ways.

I returned to the room to find Yuki on Yuri's bed, playing with Eden's hair. She smiled at me when I opened the door. "How did things go?" She asked. I couldn't help but blush. "I need you to help me win Yuri over." I said quietly. Yuki beamed. "If there's anything I know, it's what my partner likes... although... I've never really figured what he likes in... women." She said. That... put quite a damper on my spirit. Yuki noticed this. "Don't worry, you can still appeal to his basic desires, and then there's something else I picked up on from him when we first got here, so we should try that too." She said. I smiled, a bit of confidence returning.

 _ **Yuri**_

Issei and I sat down at the table and began eating our lunch. "So Issei, I hope you plan on telling me what happened with you while I was gone." I said. He looked up at me and made a puzzled face. "I'm not exactly sure what you mean." He said. "Oh, come on... you reek of Devil." I said quietly. He recoiled in shock, but I leapt forward and put my hand over his mouth. "Shhhhh, tell me what happened, and I'll tell you how I know what you are." I said with a grin. I let go of his mouth. "Alright, I got asked out by this really cute girl on Monday, and we went on a date on Tuesday... the date went alright, but when we were going to go home, she attacked me, and killed me, then Wednesday I got killed again by Fallen Angels. When I woke up, I was next to Rias Gremory and she kinda... told me I was a Devil." He said breathlessly. I looked at him, amused. "Now tell me how you knew." He said. I laughed and leaned in to keep others from hearing. "I've been a Devil since birth." I said simply.

Lunch ended shortly after my revelation to Issei, so we went back to class. The rest of the school day went by without incident. After class ended Issei sprinted after me down the hall. "Hey, you should come with me and meet Rias." He said. "Hmmm, how about next week, I have something to get ready for this weekend, and I want to make sure that I use the most of my time." I said. "Alright, I should probably tell Rias, that you're coming." He said. "Fine, tell her that the heir to the 30 Clans is coming to visit, don't worry, she'll likely know what it means." I said with a laugh. Issei nodded, and I gave him a wave as I walked out the door and onto the grounds. I made my way to the park, and once I was sure that no one would see, activated the sigil on my palm and teleported to the Phenex courtyard.

I walked down the hall and opened the door to our room, and was immediately hit with a wonderful smell. I stopped, enraptured by it. I looked around the room and my eyes fell on Ravel, who was sitting on the bed, looking at me. I looked back at her, and sniffed the air again. "What is that?" I asked. She gave me a worried look. "Is it... okay?" She asked. _It smells incredible... what is it?_ I walked to Ravel and put my hands on her shoulders, taking another sniff of the air. I looked at her. "It's you." I said. She gave me an even more worried look. "Do you not like it?" She asked. _Oh no... she might not appreciate this._ I felt my mind numb. My sight dulled, and my nose became filled with nothing but her scent. I felt my body beginning to give in to instinct.

 _ **Ravel**_

I looked at Yuri worriedly... he seemed lethargic. Then he gave me an apologetic smile. "Sorry for this Ravel." He said quietly. _What is he-_ I couldn't finish my thought. I felt him bury his face in my neck, the spot where I had concentrated the most perfume. I shuddered with pleasure. I couldn't describe it... it felt... incredible. I felt everything... his warm breath, the skin on his cheeks, the stubble on his chin. It was a feeling I could only call... exquisite. I felt his arms wrap around me. Then I felt mine wrap around him. He moved down my neck to my collar... then I felt him lock up. He pushed himself off me, and backed away slowly. He looked at me then began to breath heavily. He made his way to the door and turned to face me. "Sorry, got a bit carried away." I looked at him, more than a little upset that he had stopped. He grinned. "That was a bit too far. But no, I loved that smell on you... in fact, I want you to wear it to the party." He said. My face must have given away my pleasure at hearing his words. He chuckled. "Try not to wear so much, the pheromones you give off absolutely ruin my focus." He opened the door. "I'm going to get some air, please have that washed off before I come back." He pleaded. I nodded in agreement. He closed the door silently behind him.

I looked to Yuki who had taken a place in the corner to watch us. "Well, Ms. Ravel, was that the reaction you were hoping for?" She asked. I nodded, placing my fingertips on my neck. She giggled. "I told you he'd lose control, you should have listened." She chortled. I looked at her. "Tomorrow, while he's at class, I want you to help me pick out a dress." I said. She smiled and switched back to her dragon form, before making her way to the corner of the room that she slept in. "Of course dear. I'll be here whenever you're ready." She said. I fell back onto my pillows, breathless. My mind kept replaying that moment over and over. I stood up and went to the washroom, I ran some cold water on a towel and rubbed it on my neck. I went back to the room and got in bed, surprisingly tired. It wasn't long before I felt the warm veil of sleep drift over me.


	8. Chapter 8 - Gift

**I've been really enjoying writing this series for the last week or so... so it's kinda kept me from doing either of the others. But I think that I'll start writing the other stories today. Hope you enjoy.**

 _ **Yuri - Friday, Kuoh Academy**_

I sat down at my desk in class, Issei wasn't there, so I assumed he was with Rias, whose name sounded familiar but I had trouble placing where I heard it before. I smiled, hating myself for what I did last night. _What the fuck Yuri, don't you have even a semblance of self control?_ I though to myself. Ravel's probably really upset about that. My mind flashed back to that moment. _Wow, it felt good to do that. I'm such an ass._ I sighed. At least I stopped, because wow I had wanted to keep going. I sighed again. _I hope she isn't too mad. Although... she seems rather... oblivious? Yeah, oblivious was the word. Oh well, I guess I'll have to learn to control myself a bit better._ My mind flashed to Ravel's reaction to the event. _Wait... did she like it?_

 _ **Ravel - Friday, Phenex Manor**_

My mind flashed backed to last night, I couldn't help it, my neck tingled where his face had been. I pulled my pillow over my face and squealed. When I finished, I could hear Yuki laughing behind my pillow. I looked at her. She was grinning at me. "What's so funny?" I asked. She giggled and shook her head. "He barely even touched you for 10 seconds, and you're losing your mind right now." She said. I felt my face blush. "Well... having HIM do something like that when he smelled the perfume... just..." I said. She grinned again. "You think the perfume was the real reason why he did that?" She asked. I gave a sound of confusion. "What do you mean?" I asked. Yuki shook her head and sighed. "It doesn't matter... I'm sure things will work out." She said. I didn't get it, but she seemed rather content, so I decided to trust her judgment. She looked up at me. "Also... you should put on a little of that perfume today, before Yuri comes home." She said. I looked up at her. "Why, didn't he say to wear it at the party?" I asked. "Yeah, but he also said to wear a little, so you need to figure out exactly how much "a little" is." She said. That made sense. "Oh Yuki, by the way... we still need to pick out a dress." I said. A look of embarrassment shot onto her face. "That's right... oh shit I'm so sorry I forgot." She said. I waved her off. "It's okay, we still have time." I said.

 _ **Yuri - Friday, after class.**_

As I made my way off of school grounds, I pondered what to do for the next few hours or so. Yuki contacted me through our shared conscience and asked me to find something to do outside of the manor for a few hours. I wasn't sure why she wanted me out, but it didn't matter, I'd listen to her request. I decided after a few minutes of deliberation to walk around the market district for a while. I walked through the rows of shops and stalls. Taking in the rumble and hum of the patrons as the daily transactions as everyone went about their days. I looked around and found a shop I was looking for. I walked in the flower shop and smiled at the owner. "Hello young man, how may I help you?" She asked politely. "Oh, good afternoon, Miss. I'm looking for a very specific set of items from your shop." I said. "And, it just so happens that I don' see that item in the storefront. Do you think you could show me the items you... wouldn't just... let everyone know that you have available?" I asked. She smiled, this time her face was a bit more understanding. "Ahh, I understand, follow me Sir." She said.

 _ **Ravel – Friday, Phenex Manor**_

"Are you absolutely certain this is Yuri's favorite color? I would have thought it would be something... lighter I suppose." I said. I looked down at the dark purple dress that Yuki had created for me. She nodded. "Yes, I was quite surprised when I found out as well. But I am certain he'll absolutely adore you in this dress." She said, beaming. I gave the dress a good look. It was pure silk, and its threads seemed to glisten under nearly any light. It had smaller, rose shaped patterns that granted the dress a wonderful elegance. I smiled at Yuki. "The dress itself is gorgeous, I'm just worried that Yuri may not like... me... in it, do you think he'll focus on the color more than he'll focus on me?" I asked worriedly. She smiled. "Hmmm, well then why don't you let him see you in the dress tonight? It would give you a good opportunity to gauge his reaction to seeing you." She offered. I shook my head... rather violently to be honest. "No, no... no. I... want him to see me in this for the first time tomorrow before we leave." I said. Yuki sighed. "Oh well, then I guess you'll just have to take my word for it, don't worry, he'll like it." She said confidently. I nodded. I looked at her a little embarrassed. "Ummm, can you... take the straps off?" I asked. She looked at me for a moment. "You want the straps gone... so do you want the bows on the back to serve as the fasteners too?" She asked. I nodded. She ran her hands along the sides of the dress and the straps melted away. She looked at me, then a grin formed on her face. She eyed my breasts in a way that made me slightly uncomfortable. "You just want to make sure that he can see these... I get it." She said with a wink. I felt my face burning. I couldn't look her in her eyes. "Is... that... so bad?" I asked. She shook her head.

She gave a small sigh. "Ravel, I think he notices you a lot more than you think. That's probably why he's been teasing you so much." She said. "You know what I think? I think he'll make a move tomorrow... during the party." She said. "Especially if you do as I say tonight." She said. I gave her a smile. "Alright... so another question, makeup or no?" I asked. She smiled. "None, I think he likes your face the way it is." She said. I laughed. "I hope so, I don't know what I'm going to do if he... tells me no." I said, a bit of fear building in the back of my mind. She put her hand on my shoulder. "You have to have some confidence in yourself, little one, Yuri likes confidence." She said. "Believe me, as his partner, me being confident is one of the reasons he and I get along so well." She said. I sucked in a deep breath. I held it for a few seconds then released it. I lunged forward and wrapped my arms around Yuki. She squealed with laughter. "Calm down now, little one." She said. I looked up to her. "Do you think I can get him to like me?" I asked. She giggled. "Sweetie he DOES like you, this is just a way to get his attention with more... romantic intentions." She said. I nodded. I wrapped my arms around my waist. I sighed. _Now it's just a matter of waiting until tomorrow._

 _ **Yuri - In the courtyard of Phenex Manor**_

I clutched the wrapper around my purchase gently, as they were rather expensive, and the only ones they had. I walked up the front steps, and opened the door. I was immediately hit with the smell of food. It was actually rather enticing. I shook my head, I had something I wanted to do. I walked up the left set of stairs and made my way to our room. I peeked my head in. Yuki was sitting on my bed. I walked in and gave her a wave, she smiled back at me. She looked at the item in my hands and her eyes lit up. "Are those for her?" She asked. I blushed slightly... then grinned. "Yeah, I thought she might like them." I said. "You managed to find them here... how much were they?" She asked. I hung my head for a moment. "About, as much as you'd expect them to cost when they're spliced to occur naturally." I said. She laughed at that. "21 of them, 7 blue, 7 red, and 7 orange... what a strange assortment of roses." She said. I nodded. "You know what these mean." I said. She nodded and smiled. "I'm going to leave them here, tell Ravel if she needs me, I'll be upstairs training." I said. "Okay, I'm certain when she sees these she'll want to talk to you." She said. With that I placed the large bouquet of roses on the bed, walked to the door, then closed it behind me.

 **This chapter was shorter than the previous ones, so to make up for it, I'm going to upload a 5000 word chapter, but it'll be around the 26th that i do so. Anyway, i hope you all enjoyed.**


	9. Chapter 9 - Admission

**This is chapter 9 for SD & FP. I hope you all enjoy. The story hit an overall 2000 views which is great. Thanks again to all of you who read this. PS. This may be a little late, since it'll probably be a longer chapter.**

 _ **Ravel - Phenex Manor, Friday Night.**_

I yawned and stretched my arms forward, resulting in a satisfying pop from my shoulders. I can't believe that my mother called me into her room just to tell me to enjoy myself at the party tomorrow. It felt the entire time like the conversation was meant to stall for something... but what? I didn't know but I was sure of one thing, I'd likely find out soon. I made my way down the hall and opened the door to my room, ready to go to bed. I looked over at Yuki who smiled and nodded towards my bed. I turned my head and my heart skipped a beat. _Flowers... why?_ I looked back at Yuki. "Who brought these here?" "Who are they for?" I asked. She giggled. "Who do you think, and, who do you think?" She asked. My heart skipped two beats this time. "Where is he?" I asked. She nodded towards the door. "Third floor, said if you wanted to talk to him, you should look up there." She said. _Talk to him? Shit... I want to run up there and kiss him._ I shook the thought from my head.

After a few moments, I looked at Yuki. "What should I do?" I asked. She looked at me with a smirk. "That depends, what do you WANT to do?" She asked. My mind flashed an image of my arms around Yuri's neck... and my lips pressed to his. I shuddered with anticipation. I felt my face burning with blush. She burst into laughter. "Well I can tell without asking where your mind went to." She said after calming herself. I looked down to the foot of my bed. She spoke up again. "I don't think he'd have a problem with it, provided that you can control yourself and don't attempt anything... sexual." She said. Her words seemed sincere, so I decided to press the topic slightly. "Yuri would... let me kiss him?" I asked with a maybe too much hope plain in my voice. She laughed again. "You know, I don't doubt he would." She said. Again, I felt my chest tighten. "Well... should I... do it right now... or wait until the party?" I asked nervously.

She pondered the idea for a moment. "Well, that all depends on what you want to do. However if you're asking for my advice... wait. If you wait until after the party, where he will likely be spending most of his time around you due to being in an unfamiliar situation, he will be more likely to listen and understand the meaning behind your words and actions." She said. A possibility formed in my mind that I hadn't even considered. "So... why are you helping me?" I asked, I didn't want to sound ungrateful, but she could just be playing with my mind. "Why... huh? Most specifically... I guess because I think that you and Yuri could actually be a viable couple, hon." She said with a wink. "But mostly because I think you two would have cute kids." She said with a wink. I felt my face get hot. She laughed. "You're definitely a preferable choice to... her." Yuki said with a grimace. That surprised me a bit. "Her?" I asked. Yuki shook her head. "It's best we not talk about it... yet, but tell you what, win Yuri over, and I'll give you some more info about it." She said. I nodded. For some reason, the prospect of learning more about Yuri piqued my interest. _Oh well, looks like I'll have to wait til tomorrow. I'm actually... rather excited to see him react to me in my dress._ I giggled at the thought. "I'm going to bed Yuki, so could you tell Yuri goodnight for me?" I asked. She nodded. "Goodnight, Ravel." She said.

 _ **Yuri - Phenex Manor Training Room, Midnight**_

I pushed my body upwards one more time. _Shit... I lost count, that must have been... well it was more than 2000, but... less than 5000._ I sighed, and stood up. It didn't matter, my arms weren't sore, so it wasn't as though I was going to gain any mass from the exercise. I heard the door click, and turned my head slightly to see who opened it. _Yuki._ I turned and faced her. "Not like you to interrupt me when I'm training." I said. She smiled. "Sorry, partner... just wanted to see how you were doing." She said with a meek smile. "I hope I didn't break your concentration." She said. I walked over to her and wrapped her in an warm embrace. I felt her arms tighten around my back. "No, darling of course not, I wasn't getting anywhere anyway, I think you knew that deep down." I said with a laugh. She giggled. "You and I are too in sync, aren't we?" She said. I hung my head. "We're best friends and life partners, and you're just now realizing that we're incredibly connected?" I laughed. She sighed and nuzzled her face into my neck. She sat there for a moment before pulling away and giving me a stern look.

She breathed out a heavy breath. "What am I going to do with you?" She said with a huff. I reeled back. "What do you mean?" I asked. She shook her head. "Ravel... I'm talking about Ravel, Yuri." She said with a sigh. "What about he-" "Are you going to tell her how you feel or not?" She asked. I hung my head. "I suppose... you're right... I should stop hiding it from her." I said. This admittance brightened Yuki's complexion significantly. "That's right... she's absolutely terrified that you don't like her." She said. I sighed, shaking my head with what was not a small amount of frustration. "That girl... is completely oblivious, isn't she?" I asked. Yuki angered slightly. "This is mostly your fault!" She nearly screamed. "If you'd just fucking kiss her, she wouldn't be able to question how you feel." She said, a little, but obviously still frustrated. "Tomorrow." I said. She brightened. "You promise?" She questioned. I nodded. "I do like the girl... but... you know." I said. Yuki nodded, she knew what I meant, so I didn't need to finish.

Yuki walked back to the room while I grabbed my shirt and shoes. I made my way to the bathroom and ran some cold water. When the water had pooled a bit in the sink, I cupped a bit in my hands and poured it on to my shirt. After the water soaked my shirt thoroughly, I ran a bit of Yuki's magic into it, purifying the threads and cleansing it. I wrung the shirt out, then dried it with a bit of heat magic. I sighed as I contemplated the party tomorrow. _I told Yuki that I'd admit my feelings to Ravel... but how do I go about doing that?_ I sighed again, rubbing my palms against my eyes. Maybe it would be better if it occurred mutually. I smirked. _It would require her to actually realize that I like her... ughhhh._ I laughed to myself silently. After the shirt air dried a little more, I put it on again, then switched the fabrics into the silk clothing I used for sleeping. I walked out of the bathroom and down the hall into our room. Ravel had herself tucked away in her bed. She had taken the roses I gave her and set them in a vase, which itself was on the night table to the right of her bed. I laid myself down in my own bed, Eden had already snuggled herself against the pillow. She shifted slightly to allow me to get a bit more comfortable. After a moment I felt sleep pulling on my mind, and I drifted away.

 _ **Ravel – Phenex Manor, Saturday Morning**_

 __I felt a yawn escape my lips as I sat up in my bed. After the yawn subsided I took a glance around the room. Yuri and Yuki were gone, but Eden and Baphomet remained in the room. Eden smiled and waved at me when she saw that I had awakened. Baphomet looked up at me. "Yuri and Yuki are outside in the courtyard, Yuki said you should join them." He said. I nodded and dressed quickly. I ran to the bathroom and washed my face. The cold water was a little shocking, but the feeling was definitely appreciated. After finishing my wash I ran out the door and into the courtyard. I saw Yuki and Yuri sitting on the edge of the large fountain in the courtyard. Yuki noticed me first and looked up. She smiled and stood, then walked over to me. "This is a good opportunity for you to make a move." She said. I nearly jumped out of my skin. "Wh-what? I thought you said to wait until the party?" I stammered. "I did, but after I told him about your reaction to his gift, he's been in quite a good mood... so now's your chance to really thank him for the flowers he got you." She winked.

I felt my throat tighten, I gulped, trying my hardest to get some room to breathe. After a moment passed, I felt my throat loosen itself slightly. I sucked in as deep a breath as I could and made my way over to the fountain. I took a seat next to Yuri, who had his eyes closed. He smiled and turned to me, not opening his eyes. "Hello Ravel." He said with a bright smile that made my heart leap. I was even more shocked that he was being so... casual with me. I could feel myself shaking quite violently. Yuri, despite his eyes being closed, seemed to notice my panicked state. He reached out to me and set his hand on my shoulder. I immediately began to feel better, something about him touching me gave me some sort of comfort. I stopped shaking. "Are you alright?" He asked. I nodded, but then realizing that his eyes were still closed, I opted to tell him. "Yes... thank you, Yuri." I said. He opened his eyes and focused on me. I felt a chill run down my spine. _Wow, his eyes are so beautiful._ He seemed to notice me staring at him. He leaned forward and grinned. "Something wrong with my face?" He asked. I shook my head violently. "No, it's just as handsome as always." I nearly shouted. My hands shot over my mouth immediately after the words left my lips.

His eyes widened slightly, and the smile on his face widened. "I'm glad I checked." He said. "I'm glad I figured it out." He added. I looked at him confusedly. "What do you mean?" I asked. His face suddenly became serious and... solemn. His arms reached out after a moment and wrapped around me in a warm embrace. The next few moments seemed to crawl along, but I wasn't going to complain. He pulled me into him, and my chest pressed against him. "Ravel, you're a strange girl... you know that?" He asked with a laugh. I nodded. He put his left hand on my shoulder and pushed me away slightly. I made a small noise of disappointment... but then he did something that I would have never expected. The smile on his face widened even further, and he leaned in and pressed his lips to mine. My mind was blank, there were no words, there was no world... there was just this moment... and that was all that mattered. Despite being inexperienced, my body seemed to understand what to do. My arms wrapped around his neck and my mouth opened slightly. I felt his tongue touch my teeth, and I parted them. I expected the sensations of our tongues embracing to be odd, but instead I found it to be rather pleasurable.

We stayed that way for a moment, then Yuri laid my back against the fountain. I didn't know what to expect next, but Yuri seemed to be rather certain of what he was doing. His mouth moved away from mine, which slightly upset me. Or... at least it did until he ran his tongue along my jawline. Embarrassingly, I felt a moan escape my lips. Yuri grinned and ran his tongue down further, this time to my collar bone. Another moan. His mouth moved over my nightgown, and he clasped the top button between his teeth. An instant later the button had been undone, and he had moved further down my gown. _I didn't expect him to be so good, but I'm definitely glad he is._ His hands had found there way underneath the shirt to my gown, and his fingers were brushing my hips softly. I shuddered slightly, his touch was warm and light, and I was having a hard time focusing on anything other than the feeling of his body on mine.

Moments later, Yuri had completely unbuttoned the entirety of my gown, and was looking at my almost bare body. His eyes darted around my figure for a moment, seemingly taking me in. His gaze fell upon my bra. He smiled at me. "Lace? Maybe you aren't as innocent as I thought." He said with a wink. I blushed heavily. His hands reached up towards my breasts. Then he stopped. He smiled at me, then began buttoning up my gown. _Wait... what?_ I reached my arms up and wrapped them around his neck. I felt my voice quiver as I spoke. "Why are you stopping?" I asked. He laughed, and pressed his lips to mine for a moment. I found myself lost in the kiss once again. After a moment he pulled away. "It's not like I don't want to keep going." He whispered to me. He leaned into me and rested his head on my shoulder. "But, if we start now, the party will be long over by the time we finished." He said with a smirk.

I sighed, and allowed Yuri to button up my gown fully. I sat up, Yuri doing so as well. He threw is arm around my shoulder and pulled me close to him. I almost leapt in shock when I realized that I had forgotten to do what I had intended to the entire time. "Ummm, Yuri?" He smiled and nodded. "Yes?" He replied with anticipation. "How do you feel abo-" I started but didn't finish, well couldn't. Yuri had taken my chin in his hand and pressed his lips to mine for a third time... this time it was a bit forceful, but it's not like I was going to turn him down. I could feel my mind melting away... it was just wonderful. He pulled back away and smiled, then stroked my cheek with his palm. He sighed, then pressed his hand to his forehead in frustration. "Ah, fuck it. I love you Ravel, how is that not obvious?" He asked. My mouth was hanging open... it had to be... did I hear him right? "Did you just say... love?" I asked.

 _ **Yuri - Phenex Manor Courtyard. 4 P.M.**_

 __Ravel seemed rather taken aback at my declaration. Stammering and stuttering, she seemed to have a difficulty even finding the words to fail at speaking. She stopped and threw her arms around me. "I... I... I... love you, too." She said. I grinned, I didn't know why but that made me very happy to hear. She seemed to want to say something else, but couldn't find the words once again. I leaned in and kissed her. I held my lips to hers for a moment. "Come on, find the words for me." I joked. She heaved a breath and sucked in hard. After she felt ready to speak, she looked into my eyes. "You said you were glad you checked, but what DID you check?" She asked me. I sighed. "Strictly speaking, I had my closed for a reason. I wanted to check if my feelings for you extended beyond your looks, and they do." I said with a smile. Her eyes lit up and she leaned in to me. I rested my head on top of hers. "I just don't get it, well actually I do... but I would have thought that falling in love took time, and yet here I sit, enamored with you, after knowing you for less than two weeks." I said with a sigh.

I felt kinda stupid for admitting my feelings the way that I did... but that fact that this wondrous example of beauty was still snuggled up beside me with the biggest smile I had ever seen her bear gave me quite a bit of comfort. I tightened my hold on her slightly and she pressed herself harder against me. "I love you." She repeated, reaffirming her position. That made me smile. I leaned down and she leaned up, apparently having the same idea as me. Our lips met, but for just a moment. She was new to kissing, and it was incredibly obvious... but it definitely didn't make it any less enjoyable. I stood up and offered her my hand, which she took. I lifted her off of the fountain. Yuki made her way over to us. "You lovebirds need to get ready for the party." She said with a grin. I laughed and turned to Ravel, leaning down and kissing her cheek. She hooked her arm around mine, the feeling was surprisingly natural. We smiled at one another and made our way into the manor.

Eden seemed to be very astute as to the events that had transpired, as when she saw my and Ravel's arms linked she giggled. "Mama told Papa?" She asked. Ravel giggled in return and nodded. "Well, actually Papa told Mama first." She said. Eden beamed at me, then ran over and jumped into my arms. I caught her and she kissed my cheek. "Good, Papa." She said with a smile. I laughed. "Well, I don't think we've defined our relationship just yet." I told her. I looked to Ravel. "What would you define me as Ravel?" I asked, interested in what she saw me as. "Well... there isn't much actual dating in the Devil community... so I guess I'd call you a... prospective fiance." She said after some deliberation. I smiled. "Well I can't consider you to be the same, just yet... but if you'll agree to go with me somewhere on Tuesday of next week... I think we can change that." I said. She nodded. "We'll talk more about it after the party." She said. I nodded in return. She put her hands on my chest, gesturing for me to leave the room. I understood the gesture and leaned in near her face. Our lips touched lightly and I gestured to Eden and Baphomet to come with me.

We stepped out of the room and made our way down the hall, into the bathroom. I stripped nude and stepped into the shower. I waved my hand in front of the sensor and warm water rushed from the shower head. I let the water run over my body, it's caress making any skin that hadn't yet been touched rise with goosebumps. I didn't actually need to shower, as Yuki's magic was constantly purifying my flesh with cleansing waters. But even still, the showers warmth was appreciated. I let a bit of cleansing magic run along my skin. I might like the warmth but I didn't need to waste their soap. When my mind attributed the soap as being theirs, I remembered that Ravel called me a prospective fiance. _Shit, she's talking about getting married already? I... guess that's fine, I DO actually love her... so..._ I didn't finish the thought. I didn't need to worry about it right now. After a few moments, I felt that my body's cleansing was complete. I stepped out of the shower and let Eden dry me with her light magic. Baphomet squirmed a bit at the sight of my body. I sighed. "You know, you can change into your normal form when you're here, right?" I asked. The figure sighed, and then shrank significantly, I watched as the raven haired girl emerged from the black aura. The fact that Baphomet was actually female was something even those in the village didn't know.

The demoness sighed, she was tiny, probably only 5'1" with snow pale skin and blood red irises, she had a very thin build that made her look adorable despite the goat horns that protruded from her head. She made her way over to me with a pout. "Master, you're so mean... can I just stay like this forever?" She asked me sweetly. I lifted the tiny demoness into my arms and kissed her cheek. "I never told you that you had to be in that form, I just told you that form made you more intimidating, which is what you wanted." I said. She sighed and nuzzled into the space between my chin and collar bone. "Why are you so agreeable?" She asked with a huff. I shrugged and squeezed her. "It's because I'm just an awesome guy." I said. She gave a sound of dismissal. "Not really, you even brought a new girl into our lives, and you two are talking about getting married?!" She was throwing a tantrum, it didn't surprise me. After all, she may be a demon, but she was a teenage girl. I put her down and smiled. "You're gonna have to get used to her... I love her." I said. She sighed again and nodded. "I like her, so I can't REALLY argue." She said. I smiled and hugged her again. _All of my spirits like Ravel, that's a good sign._

 _ **Ravel - Phenex Manor, Ravel and Yuri's Bedroom. 5 P.M.**_

 __I twirled around in the mirror twice to get a good look at dress again. _I really hope Yuri likes it, especially now that we've cleared up any miscommunication between us._ I looked at my hair, which I had altered and forsaken the twin drills I typically wore in exchange for longer and more natural curls, at Yuki's advisement. "How do I look?" I asked nervously. "You look wonderful, I'm sure my partner will agree. I slipped into the small high heels that Yuki prepared for me. They didn't change that much, they only raised my height by a couple of inches. I had originally opted for taller ones but refrained when Yuki told me that Yuri liked me at the height I was at. Yuki picked up the small bottle of perfume on my dresser. "Now for the finishing touch." She grinned and released a small spritz of liquid onto my neck. "He'll want to ravage by night's nights end." She giggled. Confused I asked. "Is... that a good thing?" She looked at me puzzled for a second, then she spoke after appearing to come to an understanding. "Ahhh, I get it... oh dear... Monday." She said. "Monday?" I repeated, a little perplexed. "Monday, while your man is away, you and I are going to spend some quality time together." She said with a smile that made my spine tingle.

Moments later there was a knock at the door. "Ravel, are you prepared?" I heard Yuri's voice on the other side of the door. I felt my heart leap as I anticipated his reaction. "Y-y-yes. You can come in." I called out. The door opened and Yuri peeked in. Upon seeing me, he his eyes widened and his mouth was hanging open. "W-wow... you look... absolutely gorgeous." He said, half out of breath. Despite being constantly told by Yuki that this would be his reaction, I felt an incredibly heavy blush spread across my cheeks. He regained himself after a moment, and walked over to me. He gave the air around me a sniff. "You smell... delicious." He said. The way he said it sent a shudder of pleasure down my spine. "Th-Th-thank you." I said. He leaned down and kissed me softly. I moaned. _Fuck, I love that so much._ He and Yuki both laughed at my sounds of pleasure. I grew even more embarrassed. I pulled Yuri's collar and pressed my mouth to his. This resulted in him giving a gasp of surprise. I laughed at the ease at which I had taken revenge. Yuri smiled. "Perhaps it's easier for me to see why I fell in love with you." He said. Our eyes locked and our lips spread into grins. "I already know why I'm in love with you." I said. He shifted his smile to one side of his face. "Is that so? Then I'll have to get you to tell me exactly why when the party ends." He said. I nodded. "Sure." I said. I reached into my dresser and pulled out a pair of small, white, elbow-length gloves and slipped them on. I offered Yuri my hand, which he took. "Shall we be off?" I asked, eager to spend a night out with my future fiance. He smiled and nodded. "Let's get going." He said.

 **Okay, so it wasn't 5000 words, but it was a rather long chapter. I hope you all enjoyed, I know I enjoyed writing this part. The next part will cover the party, which will have an awesome event that I'm looking forward to writing as well.**

 **Cheers.**


	10. Chapter 10 - Arrival

_**This is Chapter 10, which I have been playing out in my head for a few days now. Sorry that I haven't been uploading every day like I used to, but I have to be ready for my basic training in September, so these will likely be a little less frequent. Hope you enjoy anyway.**_

 _ **Ravel - Phenex Courtyard Portal Station, 5:30 P.M.**_

I took Yuri's hand as we made our way into the portal station. It honestly felt really natural to be holding onto him. We left a sleeping Eden in Baphomet's care, and Yuki insisted that she accompany us to the party, which I had no problem with. I looked up at Yuri's face. He seemed slightly nervous, so I gave his hand a slight squeeze. His grip tightened in turn and he smiled weakly. _He doesn't want to seem as nervous as he is._ I leaned into his side, he seemed a bit startled, but took my weight with seemingly no problem. We took our place on the portal, and I motioned to the operator. He made a quick check of the portal location over the intercom and once I confirmed that the area was correct, the portal began its charge.

After a flash, the Bael Manor was instantly in view. It's lush courtyard was visible from the glass walls of its own portal station. Yuri shook off a little portal sickness and we stepped off of the portal platform. I turned to Yuri. "Hey, just a heads up, they'll probably ask you who you are, and why you're with me..." I stopped for a moment. "Are you okay with me proclaiming you as my fiance?" I finished. _Three was that word again, fiance... we haven't made anything anywhere near official, we haven't even spoken to my parents yet... but, it feels good to say._ He looked at me for a moment, then he smiled. "Sure... although, as I said before, we still have something we need to do before I feel comfortable considering you my fiancee." He said. His repeating of this sentiment made me curious as to what he wanted to do, but right now we had a party to attend. With the matter of his title settled, I tapped my fingers against his, signifying that I was prepared. He nodded, obviously less than comfortable, but we continued.

A single thought popped into my head when we reached the front of the manor. "Yuri, before we enter, I thought you should know." I said. He looked at me, surprised. "Did you forget something?" He asked worriedly. I shook my head. "Just listen. When I was younger, I was sought after as a bride for my wealth, status, and genes. A lot of the men that desired me will be present tonight, so... expect to be given a lot of angry looks, especially considering how happy I plan to look with you." I said with a grin.

Yuri returned my smile. "Well, as long as you intend to be my fiancee, I think I can weather that storm." He said. With that we made our way up the stairs, and through the opened door. To our immediate left was one of the Bael servants waiting at the door holding what looked like a list of names. He motioned us over to him. "I recognize the young Lady Ravel, however you Sir, I am not familiar with you." The man said. Yuri began to speak, but I pressed my finger to his lips. "Please let me say it, darling." I said. He lowered his head, giving me a meek smile of apology. I turned to the servant. "Good evening, as you stated, I am Ravel Phenex. This is Yuri Kallen, heir to the Kallen family of the 30 Clans, he is my fiance." I said. The mans eyes widened for a moment. He leaned into us. "Miss Ravel, if you'd like, I could refrain from announcing the young Kallen as your betrothed, in order to keep the two of you out of harms way." He offered. I turned to Yuri. "Is there any reason for us to be concerned?" I asked.

Yuri looked around, although I couldn't understand why he was doing so, I couldn't see anyone. He perked up with a wild smile. "A young man, in his twenties, incredibly powerful. Who is he?" Yuri demanded. The man recoiled slightly out of fear. "Ummm, that's likely the Young Master Bael." He said. Yuri nodded. "I don't mind if you announce that Ravel and I are engaged." He said with a grin. The servant turned and walked to the banister leading down into the great hall. There was a huge crowd of people socializing in the hall. The servant cleared his throat. "Arriving from the House of Lord Phenex, the Young Lady Ravel and... her... fiance, Yuri Kallen, the heir to the Kallen Family of the 30 Clans." The servant announced. I saw a massive number of heads turn towards us. Old, young, male, female, they all turned to see who had become my fiance. It wasn't surprising, considering that the last time I came to this house for a gathering, my father recommended that I get to know some of the young men there and choose one of them to marry. I remember the rather embarrassing tantrum that I threw, screaming that I'd never marry a man that I didn't love. I meant it then and I meant it now. I locked arms with Yuri and we made our way down the stairs. I could hear the whispers of some of the women and the angry glares of the men, some of whom I could recall proposing to me.

I felt rather uncomfortable. Yuri seemed to notice this as we stopped halfway down the staircase, and he turned me to face him. "Are you alright?" He asked. I felt a little bit better at his concern, but I didn't answer him. He seemed unwilling to accept my silence, as he lifted me into his arms, resulting in me giving a shriek. "Put me down, put me down!" I couldn't help but giggle. He laughed with me, spinning us around on the stairs. After a moment he released me. I don't know what came over me but I jumped up and pressed my lips to his. I heard a few gasps from the onlookers, but I didn't care. It was so obvious that he cared about me. "Thank you, sweetheart. I needed that." I said with a smile. He nodded. "I love you, and I can't stand to see you even have the slightest look of worry on your face." He said. I felt a blush start to form in my face. We turned back to the crowd, who at one point may have been unsure if I had been forced into an engagement. Their faces were no longer clouded with that doubt. In fact, some of the women were whispering and giggling with each other. I even managed to catch the tail end of one conversation. "...they're actually surprisingly sweet with each other, who do you think proposed?" One asked. The conversation became once again unintelligible. Yuri and I reached the end of the stairs and I looked to him. "Are you okay with me leaving you for a bit?" I asked. He nodded. "I... should be okay, besides, there's something I want to check." He said.

 _ **Yuri - Bael Manor Great Hall, 6:10 P.M**_

Ravel and I separated, and I made my way through the crowd of people who didn't really seem to notice me, much to my relief. As I snaked my way between people who seemed far too interested in the conversations of those who they weren't friends with, I felt it again. It was a surge of power. I closed my eyes and tried to pinpoint the energy. Once I was pretty certain of where the power was located, I made my way across the room. I found a spot that was clear of the crowds and closed my eyes again. The surge was coming from a door quite close to me. I took a quick look around to confirm that no one's eyes were on me. I opened the door and made my way in, ensuring that I closed the door behind me.

A man was sat in the middle of the room, which seemed to be a room for meditation. I looked at him. He was tall and had dark hair that spiked over his forehead. He was in a position of meditation, one that I recognized having used it many times myself. Normally, I would never interrupt someones meditation... but something about the man was intriguing. I took a position of meditation opposite him and began a short period of shallow meditation. It was a few minutes before he noticed my presence. His eyes opened and locked with mine. He seemed to notice the position I was in. He spoke first. "Greetings Master." His voice was calm. I smiled. "Greetings, Child of Enlightenment. You must be the young Bael." I said with a grin. "You seem pretty strong." I continued. He smiled. "I guess that some of my energy is leaking out." He sighed. I laughed. "Once you break the Eighth Chain, you will be capable of suppressing your power no matter how powerful you are." I said. "If you don't mind me asking, what Chain have you broken?" He asked. I tilted my head slightly. "I'm one Chain away from ascending to Aharest." I said.

He considered me for a moment. "Sairaorg Bael." He said, standing up with a stretch. I did the same, minus the stretching. "Yuri Kallen." I countered. My name made his eyes light up with wonder. "That means you're a warrior." He said, but he posed the statement as more of a question than anything. I nodded in affirmation. "Show me your pendant." He said. I stopped, after the collision with Ravel, the pendant had broken from it's chain, so I left it with Yuki. "Yuki? Do you have my pendant with you?" I asked. The white-haired woman manifested in front of us with a slightly downtrodden look on her face. "Sorry partner, I took it to Hephaestus while you were sleeping on our first night in the manor, but even for her, it'll still take a while." She said. "That's fine... you know... you can stretch out your normal form in here." I said. She obliged. Her body convulsed and her skin turned to scales. Her shoulders spread and became her sky-blue, leathery wings. Sairaorg looked shocked at her change.

"A... a dragon?" He asked, mystified. I smiled. "Shirayuki Ryu, the Snow Dragon and my birth partner." I said. He thought for a moment. "I don't need to see your pendant." He said. "I know that a 30 Clans member was born with a Snow Dragon almost two decades ago, and you fit that description." He grinned. "A Enlightened Master, and a descendant of a legendary Devil. You're quite interesting, Yuri." He said. I returned the grin. "That power of yours seems immense, and I'd hate to let an opportunity to have a battle with you pass me by." I said. He laughed. "Even though you're a guest at my family's party?" He asked. "Well... to be honest... I don't really enjoy the stuffy atmosphere and the formality of this kind of thing." I admitted. He howled with laughter, calming after a few moments. "Who did you come here with?" He asked. I stopped and tried to imagine what would give him cause to ask that. _Well I suppose that it_ _ **would**_ _be hard to believe that a random Devil achieved a high enough social status to be invited to a party like this._ "I came in the stead of Lord Phenex." I said. He pondered a thought for a moment. "What connection do you have to the Phenex Clan?" He asked. I smiled. "Well... Ravel Phenex is my... fiancee." I said.

 _ **Ravel - Bael Manor Great Hall, 7:00 P.M.**_

Although I was busy conversing with family friends and people who were interested in our political and economical ventures, my mind kept wandering to Yuri. About fifteen minutes ago, he simply disappeared and I hadn't even caught a glimpse of him since. I knew I shouldn't worry, but my heart was aching softly. It wasn't that I missed him already... but it made me worried that he had gotten into some trouble. I felt my mind continue to wander to different situations in which Yuri could be punished for something stupid he had done without realizing. I shook myself out of the daydream and realized that people had begun to crowd around a large area in the middle of the room. I made my way over and pushed myself through the crowd. I felt my heart drop into my stomach. It was Yuri, grinning as brightly as always facing... Sairaorg Bael? _Yuri... what in the hell did you manage to do in fifteen minutes?_

 ** _What's going to happen next chapter? I've been writing these next events in my head for a while now, so I'm pretty excited to finally be typing it out. Hope you all enjoyed._**

 ** _Cheers._**


	11. Chapter 11 - Footwork

**Hey everyone, I'm writing this immediately after an Independence Day party, and I'm... "kinda" drunk. So if I fuck up some of the stuff in here, I'll go over the chapter after I upload it. Anyway, happy Independence Day to all my American readers. I hope you enjoy.**

 _ **Ravel - Bael Manor Great Hall, 7:30 P.M.**_

 _This is NOT happening, what did Yuri do to piss off Sairaorg?_ I struggled to make sense of the situation that presently in front me. I ran over to Yuri, taking his arm in my hands. "What in the hell are you doing?" I nearly screamed. He and Sairaorg both looked at me with a bit of confusion. "Fighting?" Yuri posed his response questioningly, this annoyed me. "I can SEE that... why... are you fighting?" I asked, shaking with anger. "Because I think your fiance is hiding incredible power, and I want to fight him." Sairaorg explained. I felt my face heat up after realizing exactly what that meant. I looked up to Yuri, and gave him an apologetic smile. He smiled back, realizing after a moment why I had previously been upset. "Sorry love, perhaps I should have cleared this with you first." He said. I shook my head. "I didn't realize you were just having fun... I thought that you pissed off Sairaorg, and I panicked." I told him. He laughed and pulled me against him. "How about this. Let me fight Sairaorg, then I'm all yours for the rest of the night." He offered. I had to admit, it was tempting, so much so that I accepted. "Alright, I don't see why not... as long as you don't destroy the Manor." I sighed. He had seemed so nervous beforehand, at least he looked comfortable in this situation.

Yuri smiled, as did Sairaorg. They seemed eager to begin, so I backed away. Yuki had materialized and was standing in the front crowd. I took a place next to her. The crowd had formed in a circle around the two of them. "Yuki, could you give us a barrier, I'd hate for any of the guests to catch some stray energy from the fight." He asked. She nodded and lifted her hands to the pair. After a moment, she mumbled some incoherent words and a clear, transparent barrier formed around the two of them. Yuri took a few steps back, as did Sairaorg. They continued to do so until they were inches away from the barrier on their respective sides. Yuri had already ignited his Flame. Sairaorg turned and whistled, prompting a large lion to make its way to the grand hall. I was rather surprised at it's size, it was enormous, at least four meters tall. The lion touched Sairaorg and morphed into a golden suit of armor and an enormous double headed axe.

Yuri looked at his armor-clad opponent with a beaming smile. "Is that your strongest form?" He asked. Sairaorg sported a grin that was almost equal in size to Yuri's. "Well, it wouldn't be much fun if we didn't go all out from the start." He said. "I suppose I agree with you on that point. Yuki, my sword, please." He requested. Yuki touched the barrier, which split to allow her to enter. She stood next to him and clutched her hands together tightly. After an instant, a glowing blue light formed in her hands. She toyed with it, and its shaped seemed to give with each tiny pull she gave it. After a few seconds, the light faded and a medium sized katana was all that remained. She handed Yuri the blade. "Yours too, darling." He added afterwards. She repeated the process and handed him a second blade. The weapons were strikingly opposed, color wise. The one he referred to as "his" was purple, with tiny yellow diamond patterns interweaving across it. The other blade had the same pattern, but with a light blue main color and black diamonds.

I stared at the blades for a moment, then Yuri took a stance that I found strange. Rather than holding his swords traditionally, he held them in a way that faced them away from his opponent. Yuki had already taken her place next to me once again. "Yuki, why does he take that stance?" I asked. She looked at me for a moment, seemingly not understanding my question, but she turned and placed her fingers on my temples. She whispered something, but I was too confused to hear her. "Watch him, you'll see in a moment." She said. I looked to Yuri and as if on cue, he attacked. He disappeared... no, he jumped and landed upside down on... the air? Yes, his feet made physical contact with the air, as though it was bending and supporting him. He sprung towards Sairaorg twisting the swords in his hands. He landed to Sairaorg's immediate back and slammed his swords into his shoulder. Bael staggered and lurched resulting in him falling to the ground.

Bael had a look of shock plain on his face. He stared at Yuri with confusion, then broke out into a grin. "Fuck, you hit hard." He said. Yuri paused for a moment and smiled weakly. "Sorry, I meant to end it in that first hit, but I held back a bit too much it seems." He said sadly. Sairaorg looked a bit surprised at Yuri's admission. Yuri got back into his stance and disappeared again. Bael was ready for it this time however, and swung around to intercept Yuri's strike. The sound of their weapons clashing left a metallic ringing in my ears. Bael gave a heave and slashed outwards horizontally, but Yuri easily ducked underneath the axe. Yuri slammed the hilts of his blades into Sairaorg's chestplate. Bael gave a heavy groan upon the impact, and Yuri used the momentum to dash backwards, sliding across the ground and stopping inches from the barrier's edge.

Yuri's eyes had closed and he seemed intently focused on something that was surprisingly not Bael. He opened his eyes. "Yuki, is your healing magic ready?" He asked. Yuki smiled. "Certainly, just give me the command whenever you need it." She said. Yuri smiled, and swung his arms forward, launching his blades at Bael. Bael readied his axe to defend, but Yuri made a move that I didn't expect. He ducked under the axe for a second time and wrapped his arms around Sairaorg's chest. The blades slammed into Yuri's back, piercing into him and Bael. I watched in horror as blood spilled from the fresh wounds in Yuri's back. He grinned and with a cough that made my heart drop, spoke. "Balance Breaker: Burning Martyr."

 _Boom._ A flash of light filled the room and Yuri's body burst into flame. I nearly screamed in terror. _Oh no, what are you doing?_ Yuki noticed my distress and gave me a grin. "Didn't he ask you to trust him?" She asked. _But he just exploded!_ She pointed to Yuri. He was standing, and smiling, and no longer on fire, which made me happy. He turned to me and sighed. "I'm fine, just... a bit of internal damage." He said, wrenching the blades from his back and Bael's chest. The blades shifted back into the lights they had started as and danced across the room to Yuki, who clasped her hands around them. Bael, who had been still until this point, dropped to his hands and knees, coughing up a modicum of blood. "Yuki, heal up our friend here." Yuri said. Yuki leapt across the room and landed next to Bael. She encased the young man in ice, and after a few moments, shattered the shell.

Bael coughed up a bit more blood and stood back up on his feet. His hands made his way to his wounds and he felt them with a wince of pain. "The internal damage is healed, but the surface wounds will take time." Yuri said. Sairaorg offered Yuri his hand, which Yuri took. They shook hands for a moment and Bael spoke. "That ability, I've never seen anything like that before. How did you practice that?" He asked. Yuri burst into laughter. "I didn't train that at all, the ability itself was only a theory. If I could pass a conduit into my opponents body, then there's no reason why I couldn't pass the energy from damage to them as well. That Balance Breaker that I used... that was the first time I ever tried it." Yuri said. Bael howled with laughter. "Wow, you still weren't taking me seriously, were you?" He asked. Yuri looked down in shame. "Well, I was missing two of my other spirits, so there was no way to truly give you my best." He said apologetically. Sairaorg roared with another fit of laughter. "Oh well, you've taught me not to be content with how I am now. I need to get stronger to achieve my goals." He said confidently. They broke away from me and began talking amongst themselves for a moment. I gave a sigh, happy that Yuri didn't destroy the Manor more than anything.

Yuri and Bael spoke for what seemed to be ten to fifteen minutes before Yuri walked back over to me. I had taken a seat on the staircase to calm down, and the majority of the guests went back to talking as they had before the dust-up. Yuri reached out and took my hands. "I'm sorry." He said. I looked at him for a moment, then wrapped my arms around him. "For what, love?" I said. "I may have ruined your time here." He said quite apologetically, leading me to think he really believed that. I leaned up and pressed my cheek to his. "Yuri, the only reason I decided to go was because you were going." I allayed him, putting my hand on his cheek. He was warm, and the stubble on his face was rough against my skin. He smiled and took my hand from his face, and pressed his lips to my cheek. "We've had quite a day haven't we?" He asked. I giggled. "Quite an understatement in my opinion. Undoubtedly worth it though." I said. He lifted me onto my feet. "Bael said that the ballroom is open. Let's go dance. I'm eager to work off the stress." He said.

We made our way to the large doors opposite us and I had an epiphany. "Yuri, can you dance?" I asked. I didn't want to sound rude by asking, but I was unsure. "I'm a swordsman by nature, darling. Footwork is incredibly important in swordplay... so when I was younger I was given ballroom dancing lessons from my mother." He said. _Well... that's rather surprising, I thought that Yuri was the first to leave the village... unless._ I turned to face him. "Yuri, was your mother..." I started. "No, my mother was not human, she's a pure-blooded Devil." He said. He turned to me. "Simply put, my mother has an ability that allowed her to learn it on her own." He told me. "You'll learn more when the two of you meet." He said. The thought of meeting his family made me nervous. _Oh well, that's not something I need to be concerned with later._ I reached out and grabbed his hand. I might as well enjoy tonight.

 _ **Yuri - Bael Manor Ballroom, 9:30 P.M.**_

 __We had been dancing for nearly two hours, and I was enjoying the rhythm of the my and Ravel's motions. We went back and forth on the floor for a few more minutes, then I pulled her off to the side. "Okay, I think I've had enough for now." I said with a grin. She feigned a pout. "Are you not having fun?" She asked, obviously joking, but I decided to tease her a bit. "Where do I start? You obviously have no idea what you're doing." I said. She reeled back in mock offense. "How dare you!" She exploded. The people around us began to stare. I pulled her against me. "Have something to say about it?" I asked. People began to murmur, but only because they couldn't figure out why we were "arguing". Ravel reached up and wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me down to her, our faces hovering mere centimeters away from the others. I pushed forward and our lips met. She was a little unwilling to break our ruse, but she relented after a moment.

After we broke away, the crowd caught on that we were simply playing with one another, and went back to either dancing or socializing. Ravel leaned against me, and gave a loud yawn. "Someone's tired." I said with a laugh. "And here you didn't want to stop dancing." I grinned. She ceded my point and sighed. "Yeah, I probably would have passed out." She said with a smile. "Thanks for stopping me." She added. I shook my head. "What do you say we head home?" I offered. She nodded. "I think it's absolutely time we did that." I looked around the room, seeing Bael in a corner speaking with some guests. "I'll be back in a moment, I'd like to speak with Sairaorg." I said. She nodded and gestured towards the door. "I'll be waiting for you at the front door." She said. I nodded and made my way over to the group of people.

I waited patiently for Sairaorg's crowd to diminish, then walked up to him. "Ah, Yuri, have you given any thought to what we discussed earlier?" He asked. I tilted my head. "I was rather enraptured by my partner during that time, but I did do some thinking, and it sounds interesting enough." I told him. "Great! I'll stop by the Manor some time in the next few weeks to give you the paperwork for it." He said excitedly. "Alright, I'll clear it with Ravel." I said. Simple enough. We said our farewells and I made my way out of the Manor. Ravel was as she had said she would be, at the front door. The short walk to the portal station was silent and close, our hands tight together. We stepped onto the sigils and moments later, we were on the sigils of the Phenex Manor.

We made our way through the house quietly, as Ravel's family had returned by this point. The house was deathly quiet as we stepped upstairs. Once the door to our room was closed, we both breathed soft sighs of relief. Upon inspection of my bed, Eden and an obviously female Baphomet had taken refuge underneath it's warm sheets together. Ravel almost had a chance to scream before I remembered that she didn't know about Baphomet. I pushed my hand over her mouth. "I forgot to tell you that Baphomet's a girl. I'll tell you more about it tomorrow." I promised her. She nodded slowly as she processed my words. "You don't have a problem with me sleeping in bed with you, do you?" I asked cautiously. She blushed but shook her head. I let go of her mouth. "Alright." I said, before changing into my silk clothes. Ravel did the same and we were soon sitting underneath the sheets on the bed. She heaved a sigh. "The day's over, it's been quite hectic." She stated. "Well, the most important part in my eyes is that we were honest with each other." I said. She nodded. After a few silent seconds we embraced. It would have likely been longer, but her and I were both tired and eager to sleep. We laid down sideways next to one another and my arms wrapped around her waist. Tiredness apparently claimed Ravel at this point, as I could hear her speaking softly in her slumber. I felt the warm temptation of sleep haze my mind, but before it too claimed me, I had a thought. _I'm really glad I decided to take her offer._ Sleep came for me not moments later.

 **I know, I'm a lazy shit, but I have a good excuse, well I will eventually when I come up with one. Basically the last 4 days I spent partying incredibly hard with friends who were either busy July 4th, or just wanted to party after all the craziness calmed down. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed, I'll try to make the next chapter a little longer.**

 **Cheers!**


	12. Chapter 11 5 - Kidnap

**11.5**

 **New Arc Introduction**

 _ **Siberia - 5:00 A.M.**_

 __"Mother, it's time! The children are all awake." I shouted. The tiny woman turned around on the spot and smiled at me. The snow that was constantly falling in our homeland was the same color as her hair, and it made it seemed as though her locks encompassed the land. "Wonderful sweetheart, the rest of the day is yours." She said. I grinned, and she gave me a sly look. "Are you spending the day Melanie?" She said with a grin that rivaled mine. "Mom!" I shouted with a laugh, then nodded. "You know how I feel about her." I said. She nodded. "Well, in the end, I'm not the one you need to worry about, it's your brother." She reminded me.

That was all we had to say, and the younger children had began to gather outside. My Mother began to tend to them, and I made my way to the edge of the village. Melanie was leaned against our town hall. Her auburn hair was tied up in a soft bun that, gave her a rather distinct silhouette against the morning sun. We didn't get a lot of sunlight, especially not at this time of year, so her and I resolved to make the best of it. She seemed to hear me coming, as she turned and gave a rather enthusiastic wave. "Hey, darling, you sleep alright?" She asked. I nodded, and she smiled at my decidedly less enthusiastic response. "Oh well, I guess I'm okay with that answer. She grabbed my hand and began pulling me up the hill to the snowy cliffs opposite our village.

"A little eager today are we?" I asked a little exasperated. She nodded vigorously. "It's not every day that you and I can spend time together." She said. She was right, of course, so I made no further complaints as we made our way to the edge of the cliff. As we got closer to the edge, she turned and faced me. "What are we going to do about your brother?" She asked. I sighed rather loudly. "You too, huh?" I asked. She sighed as well. "You're brother's blessing for us is as important to me as it should be for you." She said. I ceded the point by wrapping my arm around her waist. She pushed her face close to mine. "Listen, darling. I love you... but I refuse to marry you without Yuri's permission... or at least his understanding." She said. I nodded, I wanted my big brother to accept us, but then again I had no idea his opinions on the relationship Melanie and I had.

Melanie gave the air a sniff. As I looked at her it dawned on me that she was acting rather lethargic. "Hey, Mel are you okay?" I asked. She shuddered and then fell back onto the snowy ground. "I'm... feeling kinda tired, why is it so dark?" She said to no one in particular. I looked up, the sun was still high in the sky, as it wasn't scheduled to set until later in the morning. Then I saw it, it was thin and anyone who hadn't trained under my brother would have undoubtedly missed it. It was like a transparent, off-black film. _A barrier? What's it doing here?_ I searched around the dome the barrier had cast over the village. The people down below were hard to make out, but unmistakably they were drifting off to sleep in the street. I checked myself... figuring it out after a moment. _It's a Lulling barrier, used to hunt jittery prey and make them feel safe and sleepy._ I gave myself a mental pat on the back, and then immediately after gave myself a mental slap to the forehead. _Shit... I need to check on Mother._

I apologized to the now sleeping Melanie and sprinted back down the pathway. I could hear voices, which to me was a bad sign. _The only people who can cast Lulling barriers are Fallen Angels and the King, and I'd wager a doubt that the King would bother to cast it._ I came to a stop a few dozen meters from my home, and pressed my back to the side of a house. I could hear them speaking, it was German. "Hey, hurry up with her, the boss said that we needed to get her out of here **before** the kid gets back, so make sure you cast that paralysis spell." One commanded. He was male and as I peeked around the corner, I could see that the group, 5 in total, were covered by black cloaks. One of them was holding my Mother, asleep, in their arms. I would have been angry, but it seemed like the barrier was keeping me from doing so.

One of them clapped their hands together, and I felt a wave of static pass through me. _The paralysis barrier... I can't move._ I locked onto one of their energies, and I managed to imprint on it. The kidnappers nodded to each other, and within a moment, they were gone. _Mother, I'm sorry I couldn't help you, but it's okay, I know who can. When I get out of this paralysis state, I need to get Yuri._ "Wait for me... Big Brother, I'll be there soon."


	13. Chapter 12 - Memories Through Touch

**Chapter 12. This and the next chapter are going to be rather important, as they are meant to set up a future arc that will break off of the original writer's plot and start my own. Don't worry though, it'll return to the original plot after my arc finishes. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter. It's going to be a bit longer than normal.**

 **Ravel - Phenex Manor, Sunday, 8:00 A.M.**

My body felt warm... and good. My eyes opened and pushed my back against Yuri. He seemed rather appreciative, turning around and looking down at me. His icy-colored eyes were alert, even in the early morning hours, although his face had a softer quality to it than usual. Our gazes were locked together for a moment, then we leaned in. His lips were soft against mine, and he wasn't the least bit aggressive with this kiss... it was gentle, and loving rather than passionate. Even after we separated I pulled him back against me. "Can we stay like this for a minute?" I asked. He laughed. "Well, I'm glad you asked, because I definitely want to." He said. I wrapped my arms around his chest, and he did the same with my waist. I buried my face in his neck. _It's too wonderful like this, I'm gonna want to go back to sleep._ My comfort almost consumed me, but Yuri spoke up. "We can do what I wanted us to tomorrow, we just need to be up a bit late." He said.

He didn't get too into the details, and pulled me into him again. Although the fact that he brought it up gave me some pause. What exactly is it that he want's to do? My mind flashed to things of a more perverse nature, and I found myself blushing heavily. I was inexperienced with those kind of things... but I still wanted to do them with and for him. He seemed to notice my redness. "Are you alright?" He asked worriedly. I nodded. "Just... thinking." I said. He pressed his lips to my collar, they began drifting up and down my collar bone. I squealed with laughter. After what seemed to be an eternity, he pulled away. "Well... if you weren't thinking about me then, you certainly are now." He said with a rather cheeky grin.

He picked me up into his arms and lifted me out of the bed. "C'mon, we should get up, it's almost 10, and I have class tomorrow." He said. I mocked a pout. "I don't see why that means I have to get up." I said. He tilted me upwards and our lips met again. He pulled back after a few seconds. "Mmm, you taste good." He mused. I felt another blush erupt on my face. "We're engaged, and you still tease me to no end." I said. He grinned. "Well... we aren't engaged yet, besides, shouldn't you be talking to your parents about the two of us getting married?" He asked.

The comment brought a shock to my otherwise lazy demeanor. "Oh no, I almost forgot about that." I started to panic. Hopefully my father was still here, I wanted to do this as soon as possible. I squirmed in Yuri's arms, and he let me down. I leaned up to kiss him. "I need to go talk to my Father for a little while, I'll be back." We embraced, and then he went back into our room.

I made my way across the other side of the house, my father's study was opposite the bedrooms, so I didn't have to traverse the staircase. I crossed the atrium, the door to my father's study was ajar, so I knew my mother must be in the room with him. I peeked my head around the door, my mother was sat on my father's desk, and my father was leaning in his chair. "Mother, Father?" I called out. I was rather nervous, but at this point I was fueled with adrenaline and a desire to be with Yuri, that I simply didn't care. They turned to face me. "What is it sweetheart?" My mother asked.

I must have been burning a deep red, as my Father burst out in laughter. "See, darling, I told you it wouldn't be long!" He exclaimed. My Mother's head hung in disbelief, then she looked up at me. "We actually got back after you did, we went to check on you and let you know we were home, but we saw that you and Yuri were far too comfortable together for us to stir you from your slumber." She said with a laugh. I felt my blush deepen even more. "Can I guess what it is you want?" My father asked. I didn't feel like they could embarrass me any further, so I nodded. "You want to marry him don't you?" He asked, clapping his hands together as though he were certain of his guess.

My head dropped. _Is it my blush that gave it away? Or is it my jitteriness?_ I sighed, then nodded. My mother's face lit up. "You, want to marry him?" She said with a giggle. Didn't I just answer that question? I nodded again, prompting my Mother to hop off of the desk and dash towards me, she threw her arms around me, squealing with joy. "Oh, my baby girl wants to get married!" She squealed again. "Okay, okay, okay Mom." I said, returning the embrace she gave me. My Father nodded, seemingly approving my decision. "Have you asked Yuri about it, or do you plan on ambushing him with this?" He asked, smiling.

I blushed again, shaking my head. "No, we talked about it last night, and he's the reason I remembered to talk to the two of you about it." I admitted. Father laughed, shaking his head. "Well, honestly I don't think either of us have a problem with it." He said, Mother smiling and nodding in agreement. My heart leapt with joy. I wasn't exactly worried that they would be against him, but just hearing it from them both felt like a weight being lifted from my chest. I sighed, and knowing that my parents were busy with their work, thanked the quickly, but before I left my Father spoke to me. "I'll set the date for your engagement party for about 2 weeks from now." He said. I thanked him again and made my way out of the room.

Yuki was standing across the hall, waiting for me I assumed. She was wrapping her hair around her fingers, leaving her hair curled slightly. She saw me, and gave a wave. I waved back and walked over to her. "You two slept well." She said happily. I smiled, not as embarrassed as I probably should have been. "I was rather comfortable." I admitted. She laughed. "Well, that's good to hear, now come on, let's go back to our room." She commanded. That's right, I wanted to know more about Yuri, and Yuki had offered to tell me.

We were back at the room, and had already closed the door behind us. Surprisingly Yuri wasn't there, as I was expecting him to be there to approve of what Yuki was telling me. We sat down on the bed and Yuki began rubbing her forehead. A moment later, a tiny blue ball formed in front of her fore head. "These are my memories, so you'll be seeing through my eyes." She said. "Although, a few of these are taken from moments in which I was inside of Yuri's mind. She lifted the tiny ball to my forehead, and I began to feel dizzy.

 _It's dark... why? What is this? Oh... I can feel something. It's... energy? No, it's... presence. It... feels like... Yuri. It... is Yuri._ A pause, and my I could feel the area, with my eyes no less. The sensation was uncomfortable. "Why... are my eyes like this?" I asked. "Forgive me, dear. This is simply how I see. The discomfort that you're feeling is due to your lack of attunement with nature." She said. "Well, can you at least narrate what I'm looking at? I can't make heads or tails of what exactly is occurring." I asked hopefully. "Certainly. The presence you feel? It's Yuri as an infant." She said. "This is the night of his birth. It is also the same night that my existence began. Immediately after my becoming, I knew I had to get to Yuri." She said. "Why?" I asked simply. "There were others, I could sense them. But they were... dull... mundane. Just feeling Yuri's presence breathed life into me." She answered.

I could see it now, a small yellow sphere in the blackness. It was bright, and just it's very sight brought me warmth, which I determined quickly as Yuki's feelings when she saw Yuri for the first time.

The sphere shot into proximity, and I could only assume that it was Yuki teleporting to Yuri's location. "This is where we connected." The yellow branched out and engulfed my vision. "This is where he touched me... we connected immediately, and... honestly I fell in love with him. This single interaction, his lack of fear and loving mind, it told about him. It cemented our relationship for eternity." She said. I couldn't see her, but I knew she was smiling.

The "scene" faded away. Then I saw Yuri's presence again. I was slightly more accustomed to the feeling, so I could at least make out the fact that he was a bit older. "This is his sixth birthday, the Rite of Warriors. The children were to leave the village and spend two weeks in the tundras, typically during the harshest blizzard of the year." She said. "Now... you recall that I told you that Yuri was born during the night?" She asked. I nodded, unsure of whether she could see me or not. She seemed to understand my affirmation, regardless. "That, is part of what makes Yuri unique. Every... and I do mean EVERY, member of the 30 Clans is born during the daytime. Not by their doing, but by seemingly unending coincidence." She continued. "Because of this, they consider the night to be holy... in a sense." She paused. Then sighed. "The night... greeted Yuri with admiration, and saw him as a friend... almost instantly. The night, and it's endless power of darkness... became Yuri's first ally." She said. "Thus they see Yuri as an almost holy existence just for being born during the night."

Yuri's presence moved with unbelievable speed. Overtaking another, much larger presence nearby. "This is when Yuri killed a bear for food. At the time... the other children were more worried about surviving in the cold without assistance than fighting nearby animals. But of course, I was inside Yuri, and by this point, he had already developed an extreme resistance to the cold." She said rather proudly. Yuri lunged upwards and back down again, the presence of the bear almost as quickly dissipated. "Yuri's aptness and fondness for battle made him popular amongst the children, it gave them a peer that they could aspire to be like." She said.

The scene faded once again. Then another warped into view. There were 4 presences in this event, but there didn't seem to be much movement. Perhaps they we're speaking. "What's this?" I asked. "This is one of his more fond memories. This... is where Eden and Baphomet introduced themselves to Yuri." She said. I looked at the two figures I had determined were neither Yuki nor Yuri. One of them was tall, equivalent to Yuki's human forms height, the other was smaller, about the size of a 12 year old girl. Neither of them seemed like Baphomet or Eden. "But..." I began. "Baphomet is the smaller one, Eden is the one who is my height." She explained. "I'm sure I remember Yuri telling you, but Eden chose the form of a child. I'll explain why in a bit." She said. The presences merged with Yuri, which I assumed was them completing their spirit contract.

Yuri's presence faded out, then in again. He was older this time, and there was a smaller presence, no... this presence was just as incredible as Yuri's. "This... is the moment of Yuri's first and only defeat. The other presence, is his younger sister, Miana." Yuki said. Yuri's presence slammed against the ground, and I could see the smaller presence looming over him. Then, his presence increased in brightness. "What is this?" I asked, a little dumbfounded, as one would think defeat would dampen spirits. "Remember the first dinner Yuri and I had with your family? Yuri speaks and thinks of this moment so... emphatically. He trained his little sister since she was 6, so to have her defeat him... to him it was affirmation, it was... his one desire." She said.

They faded away again. When the scene faded in, this time there were many, maybe even two hundred people, in the area. It was still easy to pick Yuri out of the crowd, however. "This is about 2 weeks later, a few days after Yuri turned thirteen." She narrated. The others slowly drifted away from Yuri. "This... is the day that Yuri left the village for two years, to survive in the Deep Tundra on his own." She said. "His words to the people before he left were: 'When we were younger, we were forced to survive in the wasteland to prove we were capable of becoming warriors, thus, I will willingly enter those lands, so that I may become stronger on my own.'" She quoted. "He didn't even take me with him, so I don't know everything that occurred, but I'll tell you the things he told me." She said.

"When he was in the Deep Tundra, he was alone, and he found peace in that solitude. It was where he learned to meditate so deeply, and to become one with the energy around him, even in battle. By the time the first year had passed. His strength had easily increased thirty-fold." She stated. "But then the second year began, and he met her." She started. "Her?" I interrupted. The way that Yuki spoke of this female foreshadowed that I may not approve of her. "Yes, while Yuri was in the Deep Tundra, she came across him. She is the Norse Goddess of Beauty, Freja." She said. "Freja had been promised to another of the Gods... Oer, was his name. However, she rejected Oer, and ran away from Valhalla. She found refuge in the frozen blizzards of the Deep Tundra, where she knew that Odin, her father, would be both unwilling and unable to search for her." She said.

Yuki paused, mumbling to herself. She nodded and then whispered. "It's for the best." Then continued. "She was smitten with Yuri after he attacked her, thinking that she was one of the 30 Clans who had decided to follow him into the Tundra." She said. "Yuri, after he had calmed down, listened to her tale, and affirmed her actions, telling her he would have done the same in a similar situation." She continued. "Her father wanted her to be a wife to Oer and do nothing more than bear children for him. But she wanted to be a warrior Goddess. She ran away after he rejected that notion." She stopped. "Are you sure you want to hear the rest?" She asked warily.

I nodded, interested in the continuation of the tale. She sighed. "They quickly became sparring partners, the clashed like Heaven and Hell in matches, but when they were calm, their hearts beat as one for a time. I was during these times when she gave him directives on how to develop Sub-Species for his Longinus. Then they... eventually became lovers, going so far as to become the others' first sexual partner." She said. I felt the blood drain from my face. That was why she hesitated. My heart was beating so loudly I could hear it in my ears. I sucked in a breath, then blew it out. _It's not surprising, if I'm to be completely honest, and just because he slept with someone before me doesn't mean that I love him any less._ "Continue, please." I said. She nodded. "Freja was the "her" that I spoke about previously." She revealed. _So... that's "her"... no wonder she didn't tell me about it._ "He's lucky to have you, at least I say that now." She said.

"They were a good pair, if I'm being honest with you. But eventually, Yuri decided to return home, to see if his training had resulted in anything worthwhile. But before he left, Freja gave him her Blessing." She said. "You've never seen him without a shirt on, correct?" She asked. I shook my head after a moment of contemplation. "He has twenty-five dots tattooed on his back in a five by five square. Each of these is a Seal of Freja. When he activates one, it doubles his power. However, he managed to evolve the Seals over time. Now, he can enter a state called Seal Overdrive, that magnifies his power by ten for each Seal activated, rather than by two. You likely don't follow me, but I'll put it this way. Yuri, by himself, could hold his own against a Major Goddess. Now multiply that amount of power by two hundred-fifty." She proclaimed.

Her proclamation hit me after a moment. _The Ultimate-Class Devils, and the Satans are the only Devils that can hold their own against Gods! She's saying that Yuri is even stronger than them?_ "However..." She continued. "The seals take a massive toll on Yuri's body, and because Freja was the one to give them to him, she's the only one who is capable of healing the damage they do to him." She explained. _That's why... he made a toy out of Sairaorg. It's not that he can't fight seriously, it's that it's a bad idea._ "Anyway." She cut into my thoughts. "He left her and returned to the village. Once he returned he fought his sister, who had been training every day since he left. She had improved even beyond what he had expected, but with his newfound strength, Yuri had no trouble with her." She said.

"Then, Yuri decided to leave, to find other opponents like Freja that could help him get even stronger. At the time, however, many other young people were requesting permission from the King to leave like Yuri did, as they assumed that he had gone to other places in the world and perhaps, even the Underworld. But the King refused, saying that the blood of the political Devils would muddy the good blood of the Clans. That was when Yuri returned, and asked the King to let HIM leave the village. The King had always seen Yuri as a threat to his throne due to his night birth. So when Yuri basically volunteered to leave the village, the King allowed it without thought. This didn't sit well with the other young Clan members, so there has been dissent against the King ever since."

She paused. "If I continue the story past this point, you'll have to hear about the other girls that Yuri slept with." She warned. That felt strange to hear. "Let me give you some context before you fly off the deep end." She offered. "A few weeks after Yuri left, he began to feel distraught about missing the feeling of being with Freja. At the time, he was a bit foolish and misunderstanding towards his emotions. He sought to rectify the feeling of emptiness by... sleeping with some of the human women he met on his journey through America." She said. "Once he realized that he wasn't getting the feeling that he had gotten with Freja, he returned to the Tundra for a single day, and after having a long conversation with her, determined that his original feelings for her were simple infatuation." She explained. "He hasn't been with anyone other than you since then. Despite an egregious number of women confessing to him."

That last bit made me feel good, it meant that he chose me, when he could have simply blown me off as another girl who just wanted to sleep with him. "After he was finished in America, he came to where we are now, Kuoh, Japan. He finds this place to be exactly what he wanted in a home, so he decided that we would live there." She said. "That about wraps it up, sorry for being so long winded about it." She giggled. I shook my head and hands in unison. "No, no, no. Not at all, it's been wonderful to experience some of yours and Yuris life firsthand. It was quite the experience." I said. _The fact that I won't be his first sexual partner is a little depressing, but I suppose the fact that he's marrying me is a good trade._ I smiled to myself. "Well, thank you, Yuki. You didn't have to do this for me. I'm glad that you trusted me enough to tell me everything." I said. She nodded, then stood up and walked over to the bed. Eden was asleep, which made me laugh. "Does she ever wake up?" I asked playfully. Yuki laughed in return. "Sometimes, believe it or not she's incredibly powerful, so she sleeps a lot to condense her energy." She explained. I nodded and fell back on the bed. _Wow it's been six hours... I wonder what my fiance's been up to?_

 _ **Yuri - Phenex Gardens Fountain, 4 P.M.**_

 _Two weeks, huh? I should have time to speak with my family before then._ I walked along the outskirts of the garden. I had just spoken with Lord Phenex about the engagement ceremony that he and Lady Phenex had planned for Ravel and I. I wandered around, taking in the deep and diverse colors the gardens offered the eye. I spotted two heads sitting on the fountain edge. I grinned to myself after remembering the moment Ravel and I shared on that fountain a day previous. It seemed that one of them noticed me, as they both turned after a moment. It was Ruval and Reyes. Ruval gestured to me, so I carved a path across the garden to the fountain. "Afternoon, brother-in-law." Ruval said. My eyes widened in surprise. "I suppose that means the two of you already know?" I asked. They nodded in unison.

Reyes punched Ruval in the arm, then gave me a grin. "You, my friend, are one reliable man." He said. I was slightly confused. "How so?" I asked. "Well, Ruval and I had... a bet of sorts, although it's not right to call it a bet. We were... split... on when Father would allow the two of you to get married." He said. "You figured that we were getting married right after we met?" I asked. They grinned at me. "Well, when she was younger... Mother and Father were hell-bent on Ravel at least getting engaged. They wanted to find her a good husband, one that would bear stronger children. But every... single... time they introduced someone to her, she cast them away like stones in a river. It got to the point where she told them that she had absolutely no intentions of getting married." He laughed.

He continued shortly after his laughter died off. "We assumed that... perhaps... she was more interested in women than men, which wouldn't have bothered us. That was the way it was for the next few years, until... last week, when she called the house and literally begged our mother to let you stay. We both knew something was up when that happened." He said. "Then at dinner, she seemed unable to take her eyes off of you, so Ruval and I got to talking, and we decided that the only reason why she would bring any guy home, is because she's interested in him, and well, we've already proven that. So we moved on to when the two of you would officially announce your engagement. Ruval said it would be after a month, but I said you'd do it within two weeks." He laughed. "Looks like I won."

He sighed and then looked at me. "Listen, Ravel is my little sister, and she's the only one I've got. She seems to trust you implicitly. So do me a favor, man to man." He paused. "Please don't break her heart." He sighed again. Ruval laughed. "What happened to getting in his face and threatening him?" He asked. "Well... he might be smaller than me, but you and I both know he took it easy on Riser, and I'd rather not have to take him on when he's serious, as that seems as though it would be incredibly detrimental to my well-being." He laughed.

We spoke for a few minutes more, mostly about the state of affairs in my village, which reminded me that I hadn't checked in with my family in quite some time. I thanked them for their apparent acceptance of the relationship that Ravel and I had started, and made my way back into the house. As I made my way back to my room silently, I wondered if Yuki had finished telling Ravel about my past. I knocked on the door to the room. "Come in!" I heard Ravel's voice on the other side. I opened the door and peeked my head around it's edge, looking for Yuki. I found her sitting on the bed with Eden, who was busy rubbing sleep out of her eyes. "I've finished with the exposition." She said with a grin.

I turned to Ravel, who was sprawled across the bed. She lifted herself up, causing her hair to fall messily to her shoulders. _She doesn't look too mad, in fact I'd wager that she doesn't look mad at all._ I walked over to her, sitting down on the edge of the bed nearest her. "So now you know a bit more about me, and you know that my life isn't ridiculously special." I said. She smiled brightly. "That is up for dispute in my opinion." She laughed. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about Freja and the others, but Yuki and I discussed that, and we decided that her telling you would be the best option." I said. She waved her hand, casting away any guilt I felt. "It's fine... but..." She was blushing rather heavily at this point. "But what?" I asked.

She shifted uncomfortably on the bed. "I... want to do it too." She said, although due to the soft slur she had put into her words, it sounded more like a question. It took me a second to realize what she meant. "You... want to sleep with me?" I asked. She buried her face in her hands and nodded. "I'm sorry." She said. I burst into laughter. "It's okay, although I'm not completely sure why you're apologizing. But okay." I said. She looked up at me, her face still burning with embarrassment. "Really?" She said in disbelief. I nodded, although still admittedly amused at her strange handling of the issue. "Yeah, although I need two things from you." I said a bit more seriously. She looked slightly worried by my words.

"Well, what is it?" she asked. I smiled, she may have thought that my conditions were ill but I had no intentions of anything vile. "I'd like to wait until after we announce our engagement, and the other thing I want, is to know if you want to start a family." I said. She contemplated my statement for a moment, then gave a rather measured response. "I... suppose that's not too long of a wait, so okay. In regards to starting a family though, I have no problems with it, but if you don't want to..." I put my hand up in protest as she trailed off. "Not at all, I'm not against the idea in the slightest, I just need to how many you want." I said. She looked down and pressed her hands together. "Five." Came her simple reply.

That... is quite a number, especially considering that the topic pertaining was children. But, if that was what she wanted, who was I to argue? It wasn't as though, considering her social status, that we'd a problem supporting them. Even with this in mind, my face must have a more sour appearance, causing Ravel slight distress. "Is that not alright?" She asked worriedly. I shook my head. "No, that's fine. When exactly do you want to start?" I asked. She looked relieved, then contemplative again. "Well, I guess I get pregnant when I get pregnant." She said with a rather uncaring smile. _Well that's not an exactly thoughtful way of going about it, but that's alright._ I nodded in acceptance.

There was a loud knock at the door. "Are the Mistress and Master decent?" Came a voice I didn't recognize. Ravel must have known who it was. "We are, is something wrong?" She asked. The door opened and one of the servants peeked his head in. "There is a... situation outside. A young lady is crying out for her brother, and causing quite a ruckus." He said. "Well, that's not much to go on." Ravel said in slight exasperation. I raised my hand. "She's five foot two inches, has purple hair, is wearing silver armor, and is incredibly powerful?" I asked. The servant looked shocked. "Yes, how did you..." I put up my finger in protest. "Is she crying as in weeping, or is she crying as in shouting?" I asked. "She's weeping, sir." He answered. _What happened?_ I shook the thought from my mind. "Please see her to this room." I said. He gave an even more shocked expression, then nodded. "Yes, sir." The door closed behind him moments after.

"Yuri what's.." I pressed my finger over her mouth. Then crossed my arms over my chest. "Yuri, is it.." Yuki began. "It must be, but why is she here?" I asked no one in particular. The door slammed open moments later. There stood my younger sister. She was breathing uncontrollably, a seemed stricken with a violent shudder. Her eyes locked with mine and she dove across the room into my arms. "YURI!" She sobbed into my chest. I put my hand to the back of her head, running my hand through her hair, which calmed her down when she was younger. "You've gotta calm down little one, so you can tell me what happened." I said.

She sat pressed against me for a moment, then pulled away. "Okay, my panic broke my Serenity, forgive me brother." She said. "It's not important, just tell me what happened." I said. She took in a deep, measured breath, then nodded. "Alright. We were invaded." She said. My eyes widened a bit. "Someone found the village?" I asked. She shook her head. "No, I think someone in the village hired them. They took mother with them." She said. _There shouldn't be a problem then._ "Then why did you come get me?" I asked. She began to shudder again. "They put her to sleep with a barrier. I went limp, this couldn't be happening. I felt my instincts grabbing at my mind, vying for control. It took me a moment to shake them off. "Okay, tell me what happened." I said.

She explained the Fallen Angel invaders, and the barriers that they utilized. She told me that she locked onto their energy and that she tried to track them down, but they had the same barriers up and she was unable to get through them. "Alright. Where are they?" I asked. I leaned in and pressed my forehead to hers. A bright flash broke into my mind. "I see, Berlin, Germany?" I asked. Miana nodded. I stood up and looked at Ravel, who seemed to still be having trouble comprehending the events that had transpired in the last minute and a half. "Ravel, sweetheart, I'm going out for a bit. I need to go get my mother." I said. She nodded after a moment. "Please be safe." She said. I nodded in return.

"Baphomet, come here." I said. The tiny girl stood up in the back of the room, where she had been sleeping. "Do you need it?" She asked, prompting another nod from me. She switched back to her larger mist form and began to gather the Darkness that I had given her. She produced a small, pitch-black sphere in her hands. She passed it to me. I felt it pulsate with neutral energy against my skin. I pressed it to my chest, and I immediately felt its power bolstering my own as I absorbed it. I felt the weight it brought to my mind after a moment. _The Darkness... I've honestly missed this feeling of pressure inside of my spirit._ I turned and faced the rest of the people in my room. "Miana, this girl is my fiancee, so behave yourself. Ravel, this is my sister, so please answer any questions she may have for you." I said. They looked at each other then nodded in unison.

I turned to Baphomet. "Eden hasn't in about a week, so if you could feed her something tonight, that would be nice." I said. She nodded her head. "Yuki, let's go get my mom." I said. She merged with me and I walked to the door, turning back one final time. "I'll be back in a little while." I said, before closing the door behind me. _"You going to be alright, partner?"_ Yuki asked. _"Right now... I... just want to find Mother, and then kill everyone who had a hand in taking her."_ I seethed. _"I don't think that there's anything wrong with that, now let's go get her."_

 **Phew, 5700 words, holy shit, that took me too long. And the worst part is that I can't promise that I'll be able to upload the next few chapters any faster either. Writing an arc on your own is difficult, but I have a good idea of how I want this to flow, so it SHOULD be finished by the end of August. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed.**

 **Cheers.**


	14. Chapter 13 - A Demon Inside

**Sorry for not updating in a while, I decided to try to write a fic for a different anime (which, if I can realistically say after one chapter, is doing pretty well.) but now I'm back, and I'm focused on this for now. Anyway, I hope you enjoy.**

 _ **Yuri - Elbe River East Bank, Germany. 2:00 A.M**_

 _"Hey partner, you've been on autopilot since we left the Japanese mainland, and your thoughts have had a pretty nasty air to them, everything okay?"_ Yuki asked. I shook my head, a bit startled. "Oh... yeah... I'm just worried." I admitted. She manifested in my being a bit more intensely, melding with my presence. "Apparently, you've also decided to decimate your mother's kidnappers." She said rather smugly. _Sometimes she's a little overbearing._ "Hey, I heard that, you know I'm just looking out for you, love." She said.

"I get it, I just wish that sometimes I could have my thoughts to myself." I said meekly, hoping she didn't mistake my meaning. I could feel her smiling knowingly. "Of course, my darling... it must feel a little unfair that I can feel your thoughts but not the other way around." She said. I nodded. "I love you Yuki, but sometimes anyone's presence other than my own feels so... intense." I said. She giggled. "I love you too, Yuri. If you ever need any time alone, I'm sure I can get your fiancee to join me in some meaningless activity, so you can have some time alone." She said. "Thanks." I responded.

"Look alive, we're here." I said. It was a warehouse, deep in the industrial district in Berlin. Inconspicuous in every way, even more so in the dark. I could feel Fallen Ones inside, and they were the only ones for miles, so I assumed this must be them. As I got closer, I could sense my mother's presence slightly. _They put her in a stealth barrier... they expected someone to show up._

I jumped onto the roof of the building, positioning myself near a ventilation unit on the roof. _Decimation, the art of slaying one tenth of a captured enemy's force. There's 10 of them, lucky for me. I'm gonna make sure they suffer. These fucks took my mother, so I'm gonna make them watch me devour their leader._ Yuki manifested in her human form next to me. "As much as I'd like to fight with you... I'm sure rather do this yourself, this being a family matter and all, so I'll stand watch." She said, taking a seat on the vinyl roof.

I put my hand on her shoulder, absorbing a tiny bit of her snow powers. _I'll use this for the torture._ I slammed my foot into the vent, sending it crashing down into the room below. Two of the ten men were directly below me, so I used the noisy clanging from the vent as a mask to hide my landing as I fell into the dark room. Even still, one of the Fallen Ones noticed, so I wrapped my fingers around his skull to obtund his thoughts. The man dropped to the ground almost immediately. The one next to him was a female, and she had turned to face me after she heard her ally fall.

"What the... shit he's here!" She screamed. I clamped my hand over her mouth and slammed my fist into her temple. She crumpled to the floor, but it was far too late to keep the others in the warehouse from being aware of me. _Oh well, it'll be much easier to crush them this way._ Sure enough, moments later, the remaining eight had stormed the room. They had their holy magic swords at the ready, although I doubted they were aware of how useless those were against me.

One of them, which... considering the way he carried himself must have been the leader, stood with a rather annoying smirk on his face. "Wow, you literally walked into our little meeting as though you own the place, and I'm not really taken to letting intruders go, so... wait... you're not the girl." He said.

I gave an exasperated sigh. _That seems... incredibly obvious._ But I humored him anyway. "Really? I had no idea." I said with an equally annoying smirk. He looked me over for a moment, then he paled. "Wait... no...no, no no. He said... that... you weren't there... that you wouldn't... come after us." He was shaking... although I wasn't exactly clear as to the reason. "He? Who, exactly... is He?" I asked. He shook his head violently. "No... I can't say, the King will know." He said, before his eyes widened in realization... realization that he had told me who, without even saying the name. "So... Redrick, eh? I guess I'm not surprised that he's making his move." I said, sighing.

"So... what... what are you going to do with us?" He asked. I looked at the group, eight in all. The leader was the oldest by far, easily in his late thirties. The rest however, were young, some seemed as though they may be in their early twenties. I sighed again. I looked to the one on the far left. She was small, just a bit taller than Ravel and likely not much older. I looked into her eyes, trying to glean anything about her I could without speaking. _She has some potential, but she's untrained... likely taken during prepubescence... I wonder how long it's been since she's seen her parents._ "You!" I barked at her. She nearly fainted out of fear... apparently my reputation among them was one of terror.

I smiled to reassure her of my intentions. _Am I... really going to do this? You know what... I don't have a reason to do this... but something makes me want to anyway... fuck... aghhh._ "Come here." I said softly. The rest of the group readied to strike but she complied, her steps small and frightened. Eventually she reached my side. I looked down at her. She had short black hair that stopped down the back of her neck. She had deep green eyes that seemed endlessly filled with sadness. "What's your name?" I asked. Her eyes darted up to mine. "U-u-um... K... Kira." She said. Her voice was nearly inaudible, but I could still make out the unmistakable fear in her voice.

I reached forward and put my hand on her shoulder. She winced and tensed up heavily, but after a moment she loosened up significantly. "How old are you Kira?" I asked. She looked away from me for a moment. "I'm sixteen." She said. I smiled down at her and she returned the look to me. "You are safe with me... I'm only here for my mother... I have no intentions of harming you. In fact... I'd like you specifically to come with me after this is over." I admitted. She gave me a shocked look. "Re- REALLY?" She said, ecstatically.

I nodded. "But... but... why?" She asked. "Why... do you care?" Her eyes were brimming with tears. _Maybe... just maybe... they'll be okay with having her around. She seems like she hasn't had anyone who truly cared about her in a long time... maybe ever._ I smiled at her. "I'm not going to lie to you... I think you could be special... but not with this guy forcing you to do things that you don't want to." I said. I looked to the rest of them. "In fact... I have a sneaking suspicion." I leapt forward and pressed the tip of my index finger to the leader's forehead. _Now I'll know everything._ I felt my energy drag against his mind. Here it comes.

 _Darkness... fire... child... pain... lies... hate... sadness... manipulation._ I tore my finger from his head and slammed my fist into the underside of his jaw. "Why!?" I screamed. Causing Kira and the other younger ones to jump. He stumbled, then fell back onto his ass. "I thought that you just took advantage of all of these kids when they were young... swooping down on them in their darkest hour... but no... what I find is much worse." I looked at the group again. "I'm certain... that you are all very thankful to this man for taking you in when your families died... but I'm not so certain that you'd feel the same, if you were aware that he himself, is the reason they're dead." I smiled.

"You're lying, I took these children in out of the goodness of my heart." He said. I turned to Kira. "Mind if I prove him wrong?" I asked. She nodded, and I pressed my index finger to her forehead as well. "Here's what I saw." I said. Kira sat there for a moment, and then began sobbing. She stopped after a moment and her face bunched in anger. "Why did you lie to us?" She demanded. He looked taken aback. "And don't you lie to me... I saw you kill them." She said. She turned to the others in her group. "He's been lying to us the entire time, everyone." She said. "He's the reason we're orphans."

Their eyes darkened. And they turned to me. "Is it true?" One of them, a male, in his mid twenties asked. I nodded, giving a solemn smile. _It's almost... unbelievably fortunate that I found out about this before fists started flying._ "I suppose your "friend" here wanted to build a mercenary group, but couldn't get anyone to join... because people like to be free. So he found newborns and killed their parents with the intention of training them to be his puppets." I said. "All of you... now that you know the truth, you don't have to deal with him anymore." I pointed to the six of them that had distanced themselves from the older one. "Your friends are in the room behind us. They're unconscious, not dead, go collect them and leave. This is the one chance you'll get from me... go find a different life, and leave this man behind."

 _ **Ravel - Phenex Manor, 9 A.M.**_

 __I looked at the short girl across the room on Yuri's old bed. She looked back at me... I could feel her studying... judging me. Her sharp silver eyes softened after a moment. "So... you're... Yuri's lover?" She asked. I felt my face heat up in blush. It was the first time anyone had called us lovers. "We got engaged yesterday." I told her. She looked at me... dumbfounded for a moment. "Big Brother... actually got engaged?" She said. I nodded.

She pressed her hands to her forehead. "I can't believe it. He got engaged. I guess he got what he wanted." She said. I was slightly taken aback. "What do you mean?" I asked. She smiled. "Well you obviously know that he left the village after his training, but I can see that he hasn't told you why he actually left." She said. _Now that's she mentions it... Yuki didn't explain exactly why he left... just that he did._ I shook my head to affirm her assumption. "Well... in the easiest to explain terms... Yuri... left to keep himself out of an arranged marriage." She said.

 _ **Wait... WHAT?!**_ "Yuri was in... an arranged marriage?" I asked. Miana threw her hands up in the air. "No no, not at all. It was a possibility, and... wait, do you know about his first lover?" She asked. "You're talking about Freja right?" I asked. She nodded. "I'm actually not surprised you know about her... Yuri has a hard time hiding things from people... or maybe he just decided to tell you." She said. "Okay, so you know about her. Well, when Yuri came back... he remembered that our parents were intent on him marrying a girl from one of the stronger clans in our village. But Yuri, who had become infatuated with Freja, felt as though we should be allowed to leave the village like he did so we could find our own ways of love." She said.

I felt a bit confused. "What do you mean?" I asked. She sighed. "Our romantic relationships in the village have become rather strained. Not to mention that there are some of us who are like me." She said rather solemnly. "I'm a... well... I'm a lesbian. I honestly couldn't give less of a fuck what the village rules say... but Yuri on the other hand." She said quietly, prompting Baphomet to burst into laughter. "Miana look, I knew that like five years ago, and I think the Bossman does too." She said. Miana turned white, well at least as white as her already pale skin would let her. "Do you really think so?" She asked hopefully.

Baphomet looked at her seriously, then gave her a soft smile. _Even with those ram horns, Baphomet's actually kinda cute._ "Yes, Miana, although I can't say for certain, even if he doesn't know, I doubt he'd care." She said with no lack of certainty. Miana turned to face me. "For a while now... the village has been in a state of disarray... we have a... monarchy system that has spanned the time since we split from the main Devil groups. It's actually rather simple. It's set up so we have five consecutive queens, then five consecutive kings." She said. "Our current king, King Redrick, has been king for roughly 95 years." She said. "But he's well known to be the most stubborn leader we've ever had." She said.

"So, what are you supposed to do about him?" I asked. She snorted, obviously a bit angry. "Well my Brother's decision to leave took away the only candidate for the fifth Kingship. Kings are decided in battle, and Yuri is the only one who could fight against Redrick, and I'm not sure he'll ever step up to do so." She said, sighing. "It sucks, he'd make such a great example as king." She said. "But it's not like our mother can step up to become Queen yet." She said. _Wait, what?_ "Your mother?" I asked. She nodded excitedly. "Mom is the strongest warrior in our village, and she would definitely be the Queen if we were at that point in the cycle." She said.

 _Well, that's not surprising, given Yuri's disposition towards her._ I smiled at her. "Well, I'm sure Yuri will do something about this before it becomes a problem." I told her. She smiled back and nodded. "I agree, but right now we have to worry about my mother... since... well." She began.

 _ **Yuri - Berlin Germany Industrial District 3:00 A.M.**_

 __"Kira, come with me." Yuki said. Kira walked over to Yuki, then turned back to me. "Can you explain it to me again?" She asked. I nodded, it wouldn't take long, and it wasn't the easiest thing to understand. I pressed my foot against the now crushed skull of the once leader of the ragtag group and slid him across the room, away from the three of us.

"My mother has a demon inside of her... it's been there since birth... something that her mother passed down to her. The demon... is called a Hym, or a sleep wraith. This demon feeds off of her weakness when she sleeps, but it didn't want anything to do with her until she got older. So she had the chance to... find the notes that her mother had written about the demon, and find a way to fight it." I said. "Clear so far?" I asked. She nodded.

"The demon ONLY has control over its host when they are sleeping, and my mother... strong, and unwilling to give her life to the demon, decided that she would fight it. But how do you fight something connected to you? Well... you wait it out. My mother has been fighting it by staying, for five years straight. That's how long the demon can stay awake. So she would stay awake for five years, then when the demon fell asleep, she would as well." I said. "You get it?" I asked. She nodded again.

I sighed. "Here's the problem... you guys, when you captured her... put her sleep... when she was... well... supposed to be awake. So... right now... the demon has control. So... I need to fight it... to get rid of it. Clear?" I said. She nodded. "Are you going to be okay?" She asked me. "The boss said that we needed to be careful of your mom because of how strong she is. If she can't fight that demon... can you?" She asked. I looked down to the ground and smiled. "Had you asked me that a few years ago, I would have told you no. But that was the me of then... the me of now... doesn't care if I can fight it or not... I just want my mother back." I said. She looked up at me and smiled. "If you want to be my family, you have to survive this." She said. I grinned. "I will."

 _ **Ravel - Phenex Manor, 10 A.M.**_

 __"So I don't get it... if the demon passes to the daughter... why don't you have it?" I asked Miana. She smiled. "That's the kicker isn't it? How does a daughter-stealing demon miss it's next target... well the only way could be... that I'm not exactly family." She said. "But... I don't really care about that... and you know why I don't care? Let me show you... well... I'll let you hear it." She said. She pressed her fingers to her temple and pulled them away, a soft green glow clear on her fingers.

She motioned to me and I got off of the bed and made my way across the room. I sat down on the bed next to her and she pressed her fingers against my temples. "Relax a bit, there's only sound, but it's not hard to hear unless your thoughts are in the way." She said. I nodded and the room went silent.

" _Hey sis, come here for a minute."_

" _Hey what's going on Yuri?"_

" _Listen... I don't even know if I have to say this."_

" _What do you mean?"_

 _C'mon, you figured it out already."_

" _Oh... that."_

" _I should tell you what happened."_

" _Okay... if you think it's important."_

" _About seven years ago."_

" _You were eight at the time right?"_

" _Yes, I was eight, and you were five._

 _You're mother and father challenged the king."_

" _Now, I know that you are aware that challenging_

 _the king is a deathmatch setting, loser dies, and the spouse_

 _and any children are exiled."_

" _Well, it was a little different for you... when your father lost..._

 _your mother jumped in... hoping to tip the scales."_

" _When she was defeated as well... the king decided that_

 _your family would be slaughtered in whole for_

 _breaking our most sacred of traditions."_

" _I was there for the fight... as were you..._

 _you were so young, you hadn't even been through the rites yet."_

" _The king killed your family... and then he came after you..._

 _but I picked you up in my arms, and I held you against me."_

" _I told him that I'd make you my sister... and that if he had_

 _a problem... he could speak to mother..._

 _obviously that stopped any qualms in their tracks."_

" _Ever since then... little one... you've been my adorable_

 _baby sister."_

" _I've nurtured you as a warrior, and now_

 _in terms of the village youth you are second only to me."_

" _Big brother..."_

" _Hush... I want you to know that I am so proud of who you've become..._

 _every day... I look at you... and I feel even more resolute in my decision."_

" _There's a but here... right?"_

" _There always is... I'm leaving the village... to forge my own path..._

 _but I don't want you to think that I'm leaving you behind."_

" _Blood or not... I love you little sister... so if you're ever in need of me..._

 _you just have to come find me."_

" _B-big brother... I love you..."_

" _Hush... dear sister... you've been my inspiration for getting_

 _stronger since you defeated me... and although you may have_

 _lost the last bout we had... you've only continued to get better."_

" _So do me a favor... keep getting stronger... be the first queen of this village..._

 _and when it's all said and done... please... remember me not..._

 _as the one who saved you from death..._

 _but as your brother... nothing more... nothing less."_

" _Yes... Brother Yuri... if I never see you again... I'll always remember you."_

I could feel tears in my eyes from the expression that was just presented to me. "Wow... you didn't cry?" I asked. She smiled. "The second he was out of sight... I sobbed my eyes out for about a month straight." She said with a laugh. "Yuri knew how to make an entrance and an exit." She mused. "So... future Miss Kallen... have you slept with Yuri yet?" She asked. I felt my face drain. "N-no... not yet..." I said. "Good... then I still have time to tell you." She said.

 _ **Yuri - Berlin, Germany Industrial District 4 A.M.**_

 __I sucked in a breath as I looked at my mother's unconscious body, the black figure of the Hym was hunched over her thoughtless form. As soon as it heard my breath it's dark, formless face shot up and it's... eyes... gazed at me. "Ahhh, boy... it's been a while." It's monotonous speech reminded me that it was indeed a her... as I had made the mistake of calling her a him before. "I'm surprised you remember me... it's... an honor." I said. She stood to her full height, around seven feet even. "Why are you here... boy?" She asked.

"I'm here for my mother, demon." I said calmly. "Well... the unfortunate thing about that... is that she's mine right now." She told me. I smiled. _You'll play my game, you'll attack me..._ "Well... then I guess I need you out of the picture." I said. I spiked my power into the twenty-five small black dots on my back, feeling them heat up for the first time in years. _Fifty times power, along with my darkness... should be enough to absorb her... just gotta stay alive._ "How do you plan on getting rid of me?" The creature asked with a rather devious smile plain on her face... despite her lack of features.

I sucked in an even deeper breath. "I'll just have to ki-" I didn't finish, couldn't, actually, as the demon had impaled my stomach with her large claws. I could feel blood draining... I could feel my organs and bowels screaming in protest. My vision wavered, and I began to feel her pulling her claws up towards my chest. I slammed my left forearm down against her claws, stopping them before they had reached my ribs. I charged my right hand with darkness. In one, single motion I took my left arm away from her claws and threw it around her midriff. "Thanks for playing my game, beast!" I snarled, slamming the darkness-charged palm of my right hand against her forehead gripping her scalp with my fingers. _If I rip out her mind, she loses._

She screamed instantly upon realizing my goal. She tore her claws from my stomach and began repeatedly stabbing into my back. I pulled my left arm from her side and placed it on her stomach. _I've got a good grip now, and my darkness has mixed with hers._ I forced her off of me, and her head popped cleanly off, due to its newfound connection to my hand. Her body slumped to the ground... but her head screamed regardless. "I'll hunt that bitch mother of your-" **Splat.** Her head popped easily in my hand, and her head and body both shifted into a pure, smoky darkness, wisping it's way to my now limp arms. "Yuki!" I screamed, the draining blood making my voice weak. "I need help!" I could feel my consciousness draining. _I'll be okay... right? I'll be fine. I'll have the demons darkness added to my own soon. Oh there she is... she screaming... but I can't hear her... I'm... I'm okay Yuki... just help mother... Mother!_ I shot up... my stupor ended by the realization that I hadn't finished my mission.

"You lay back down RIGHT NOW!" Yuki snarled. I did as she said. I could feel bandages on my fresh wounds. I turned my head to my left, where Yuki was checking on my mother. "How is she?" I asked. "She stuck up her nose at me turning her face away. "She's a lot better than you." She said. _Wow... I should have told her my plan._ "I'm sorry... I was... am being an ass." I said. She leapt over to me and leaned in close to me. "You absolutely are... but I'm not mad... just... terrified." She said, leaning in and pressing her lips to mine.

Euphoria, the pain was gone as the feeling of her lips on mine. She pulled back. "That anesthetic should keep the pain away long enough for Freja to get here." She said. "You called Freja?" I asked. "Yes, she should be here in an hour or so." She said. "So try to get some rest." She said. I laid my head back. _I guess with these wounds... all I can really do IS wait._

 **Well... that was actually fun to write... I might start the next chapter immediately. Because the last chapter was almost 2 weeks ago... I made this one almost twice as long as normal. Hope you enjoyed.**

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	15. Chapter 14 - We Return

**Thanks for all of your support everyone. Here's another chapter for your viewing pleasure, enjoy.**

 _ **Thump... thump... thump.**_ _Hey... I don't remember my heartbeat being that loud._ My eyes fluttered open to the sound. I was graced with flowing strands of white hair dangling in my face. I shot up. "EY! Lay your half-dead ass back down before I knock the shit outta ya!" The voice came. _There's no mistaking it... Freja._ I turned my head to the left... sure enough there she was, in the same silver dress that she had been wearing the day we met. "Looks like you're up, huh darlin'? You took quite the beatin' din'ya?" She asked. I sighed. _She always had that strange way of speaking at times... sometimes it makes her hard to understand._ "Yeah... I absorbed the Hym." I said.

Her red irises shot over to my mother, who was still unconscious, then back to me. She pursed her lips in a rather impressed manor, then nodded in approval. "Not too bad... but ya did fuck up purdy bad din'ya?" She asked in a rather annoying tone. "Yes... am I good to stand now?" I asked. She nodded. "Yup, the energy damage ya suffered cus of usin the seals... that's healed up. But keep in mind that nasty stab in your stomach will have to heal with time." She said. I stood up, then slammed my fist into her jawline. She reeled back, then righted herself.

"Phew, thanks... you know I'm not the best at fixing that stupid problem." She said, rubbing the lower part of her jaw. "Alright, Freja, what do you want in return?" I asked. She gave a rather smug smile... one that honestly made me consider punching her again. "Well... little Yuki might have let slip that you've got yourself a fiancee. Well, I want to meet her." She said. I racked my brain for reasons as to why she would want such a thing... but couldn't find one... so I honestly had no reason to refuse. I nodded. "Very well. Kira?" I asked, searching for the small girl.

She poked her head around Yuki's back. "You called? Um... are you okay?" She asked. I smiled at her, then nodded. "I think I should present this option to you a bit more personally." I said.

She cocked her head to the side. I smiled to reassure her. "If you'd like... you can leave, just like the others did. But right now I'm going to offer you a different choice. You can stay with me... become my second sister, become a Devil, live out your days with us in the Underworld, you would be free to leave as you wish, of course." I said. She looked down to the floor. "There must be a reason that we took your mother... and then you showed up instead of your sister... maybe... maybe... you came instead of her for a reason... maybe it was for me." She looked to Yuki, then back to me. She nodded. "I'll come with you."

I lifted my mother into my arms. Her small, light form felt almost lifeless in my arms, but her heartbeat was steady and strong. Freja had already left the building and was on the way across the ocean to Japan. Yuki smiled and lifted Kira into her arms. She gave a soft yelp due to how tightly Yuki was holding. We ran through the door to the room I entered in and leapt through the hole I had made.

Yuki went ahead, as I had decided to stop in order to tell Miana of my success. I focused my mind on Miana's energy... which came easier than I expected considering that we were on different plains. _"Hey, baby sis, I got her... I'm a bit worse for the wear... but I'll live." "Huh... oh Yuri... your fiancee's was getting concerned... and what do you mean you're "worse for the wear"?" "Don't worry about it, you'll understand when I get back." "Ugh, fine. Just don't take too long."_

I cleared my mind and hoisted my mother over my shoulder. Considering her small frame it made her easier to carry that way, and it was a lot less stressful on my nearly obliterated stomach. She stirred a bit on my shoulder. _It's alright mother, your body's gonna have to adjust to not having the Hym inside of you. Just wait, I'll have you back home in a few hours, just hold on._ I shot up through the hole, then covered my eyes with my free hand. _This is a good chance to try out that new technique I've been working on._ My foot landed on the edge and I charged up some darkness in the air around. _How does this work again?_

 _Right, so dimensions are set in layers, like flat pieces of paper. You can move through these dimensions quickly with speed of course. However... there's an even better way for stronger people like me... if they have the darkness that I have, of course. Darkness interacts with the dimensions a bit differently, enough of it can mold them in the same way black holes do. My darkness can give me the ability to "fold" the point I'm at in the dimension now over to the point I want to be._ I continued to charge my darkness, and I could feel the air around me bending.

 _Okay, supposedly when the two points touch there will be a-_ **CRACK!** A rush of air sent me back, slamming me against the hole. I caught my mother, then hopped back up through the hole. Sure enough, there it was. A small hole, just large enough to fit the two of us through, had appeared just above the roof. I could see the park in Kuoh, although faintly. I clutched my mother a little more tightly, then jumped through.

 _ **Ravel - Phenex Manor 1 P.M.**_

 __I heard a bit of commotion outside the house, then I turned to Miana, who was playing with Eden. "Hmm, I wonder what she's doing here." She said, rather distractedly. "Who?" I asked. "Freja's here... that either means that Yuri is dead, which I know isn't true, since he just contacted me. So I guess the only other option is that they ran into each other, which doesn't make much sense... oh, that must be what he meant by "worse for the wear"." She said. A knock at the door came again. "Come in." I said. The same servant from Miana's little event opened the door. "Excuse me, Miss Miana, someone outside is requesting to be let in, I'm not sure who she is, or how exactly she got here considering, but she's adamant that you are familiar with her." He said.

"What does she look like?" I asked. "She's tall, slightly shorter than the Lord Kallen, has white hair similar to him as well. Her eyes have red irises. She's wearing a white dress, and all in all, something about her... just makes her beautiful... it's difficult to explain, Milady." He said. I sighed. _I suppose the two of us would have had to meet eventually._ "Let her in, and show her to the room." I said.

A minute, no, two, later, the door opened. She stepped in. _You've got to be fucking joking. Beautiful... doesn't cut it. Are they sure the Angel Gabriel is the most beautiful woman to ever exist? Because that would mean that she's even more beautiful than this girl._ She turned to me. "Well, I know Miana, but I don't know you... so you must be the fiancee." I nodded, which brought about a large grin on her face. "Nice to meet you." She said. _Perhaps she isn't too bad?_ I smiled. "You... as well." I said.

Eden looked at her for a moment, seemingly confused. "Aunty... Frey?" She asked. "Hey there, baby Eden." She said. Eden beamed, then hopped off of Miana's lap. Freja stretched her arms out, and Eden jumped into them. "You've grown quite a bit little one!" She giggled, as did Eden. Eden shifted in her arms to face me. "Aunty Frey... this is Mama." She said proudly. I honestly felt a bit of pride myself, as though she was claiming that Yuri were for me alone. Freja looked at me intently... and she kept on doing so for a few rather intense moments. "I suppose Yuri didn't do too bad." She said.

 _Actually, maybe she isn't bad at all. She does have some kind quality to her... she actually kind of reminds me of a female Yuri._ I looked at her. "You know, I suppose that I see why Yuri was drawn to you as well." I said. "Oooohhh, you and I are going to get along so well. We've got some things to talk about." She said. "Oh, but not until your future hubby gets home." She said with a grin. As if on cue, Yuki opened the door... along with... someone else? "Ummm... umm.. hello." The girl said rather timidly. "Uhh... hi?" I said. Yuki walked over to me and pulled me to the side. "Her name is Kira, Yuri brought her with us... because she has similar circumstances to Miana's." She whispered to me.

"Oh, okay then... but isn't she a..." "Yes she's a Fallen Angel... Yuri said you may be able to do something about that?" She said. Do something... _Maybe the... Evil Pieces? I should probably wait to assume exactly what he means until he's back, speaking of which..._ "Where is he?" I asked. She smiled. "He used an alternative method to get here, I think he'll be here..." "I'm here, Miana get off the bed." Yuri's voice came moments before he burst through the door. Holding a small woman in his arms. It wasn't hard to see that she was his mother, even with the short glimpse I caught of her. That short glimpse also brought me a bit of horror.

He was limping, rather badly, towards the bed. After he passed me I could see dark red bloodstains on his back. Whatever wound he had... it wasn't shallow. "Yuri?" I asked. "Wait, dear." He said. He placed his mother on the bed, then pulled the covers over her. "Everyone, out... except you Ravel." He said. They followed his directive, Freja was the last, and she closed the door behind her. Yuri threw his arms around me. "I know it hasn't been long, but it's been a chore not being next to you." He said. "I missed you too." I said. "Now tell me, why are there two unspecified parties here?" I asked.

He laughed then pointed to his mother, than his stomach. "Miana told you about her demon?" He asked. I nodded. "I... uh... I killed it." He said. "Oh... is that where..." I pointed to his stomach too. "Yeah, she tore me a new one." He laughed. "Is... it going to be okay?" I asked. He nodded. "Thanks to Freja, at least." He said. "I used some of my seals, and couldn't even react when the thing attacked me. Thus, I was incapacitated. But Yuki called her in time. I'll be alright, I promise." He said. _Oh well, I can't say I expected much more than that response._ "Now, in terms of Kira... I'd like you to make her a part of your Peerage, along with me. I'll... make it worth your while." He said with a grin that fried my senses. "Of course... that'll be... after I'm better." He said.

"Well... okay. Why her though?" I asked. He gave a rather confused look. "Well... there isn't really a reason... mostly because she is the youngest." He said. "Her parents were murdered by the leader of her group... so I felt like she could use a family." He said. _Gosh... he's so nice._ "Well... let's work with your mother first." I said. He smiled. "She'll be okay, she just needs rest... she should be up... before tonight." He said. I sighed. "You two look quite a bit alike." I said. He laughed, then nodded. "Sure do, she's my mother after all. I can't wait for the two of you to meet." He said.

 _Honestly... I'm rather nervous... she might not even like me._ I sighed again. He reached out and took my chin in his hand. He tilted my face to his. He didn't even have to speak, our lips just met by nature. We sat there for a moment, my lips molding with his, our tongues in loving contest for access to the others mouth. He won out, and my eyes rolled back into my head. _I love our moments like this... it feels like we have this entire world to ourselves._ My illusions were broken by the stirring of the woman in the bed beside us. We broke away from one another, and both laughed quietly. "I love you Yuri... I hope you know that." I said.

He turned away then grinned. "Do you now... I can't wait to show you how much I love you." He said with a soft chuckle. "Even still... lets leave my mother to her sleep." He said, taking my hand in his, and pulling me to the door. He opened it and we stepped into the hall. "Rest well, dear mother." He said.

 **Thanks for reading. Don't forget to leave a review if you enjoyed.**

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	16. Chapter 15 - Kallen

**Snow Dragon & Fire Phoenix Chapter 15**

 **This chapter will only be 1000 or so words, sorry for the shortened content.**

 _ **Ravel Phenex - Phenex Manor, 4 P.M.**_

"Where's Freja?" I asked as Yuri sat down on the chair across from me in the living room. "I had her do something for me... we're going to be busy for the next week or so." He said. "Oh? Doing?" I asked. He waggled his finger at me. "It'd be rude of me to tell you first." He said. His eyes had a sincere look to them, one that made me reconsider pressing him. I nodded, then perked my ears to listen. "Hey... what's that noise?" I asked. He did the same, listening a bit more intensely than I. "I think Mother is awake." He said.

She was, her soft voice calling out Miana's name. "Miana? Where exactly am I?" She called. "Mother! Down the stairs and to the right." Yuri called in return. "Huh? Was that... Yuri!?" She shouted excitedly. She bolted down the stairs, causing quite the commotion. Her tiny frame shot around the corner, and for the first time I got a good look at her. She was beautiful. Long silver hair, soft, kind features, beautiful gray irises. As I studied her more, I realized how much she looked like Yuri. I shifted my gaze to Yuri. _Wow... they really, really look alike._ It took me a moment, but I noticed that she was studying me as well.

Her eyes locked on mine. Her stare made me feel like an ant to an elephant, completely irrelevant. She broke out into a smile, then jumped to Yuri, tackling him to the ground. "Mother, I have wounds!" He screamed, letting out a shout of pain that wrenched my heart. She jerked back, looking at her arms, which were now touched with the red tint of Yuri's blood. "Oh my, apologies dear... that was not the way I intended on greeting my son after 2 years." She said embarrassed. Yuri hopped back onto his feet, then threw his arms around her neck.

"I've missed you, Mother." He said, smiling. "You as well, my son." She giggled. "Now..." She said turning to me. "Who's the pretty girl?" She asked. I felt my face clam up, but Yuri took a place next to me and wrapped his arm around my waist, smiling. "This incredible woman... is my fiancee." He told her. Her eyes lit up with surprise. "Did... did you just say... fiancee?" She asked. She looked at me, then leapt forward, cupping my face in her hands. She pressed her nose to mine. Then she pulled back, then grinned. "She's cute, I like her!" She said.

I looked at her for a moment, then let out a rather lengthy internal sigh. Yuri spun me around and lifted me into the air, leaving me in no condition to do anything but giggle. Yuri's laughter, his mother's and mine mixed together caused was quite the chorus, and my mother peeked her head around the corner to see the cause of the commotion. Her eyes fell on Yuri's mother... and her mouth hit the floor. "Who... are you?" She asked. Yuri put me down then turned to my mother. "Mother Phenex, this is my mother... Asuka Kallen." He said. My mother turned to Asuka, then to me, then to Yuri. "Wait... oh my word! I'm so embarrassed... please forgive my rudeness!" Mother said, her face a bright red.

A few hours later, my and Yuri's mother were busy gossiping quietly amongst themselves, likely about the two of us. My assertion was proven true when she turned to Yuri. "You only met a week ago, and you're already engaged?" She asked him. He nodded. "Yeah, I'm in love with her." He said, taking my hand in his. "I'm actually rather excited about it, to tell you the truth." He laughed. "Well, if it makes you happy, my son, I have no complaints... your Father however..." She began. "Father can settle this with me if he has a problem. I have no qualms about pounding him into the dirt like usual." He said.

Asuka looked at him for a moment, then burst into a fit of laughter. "Good grief, I patch your father up enough as it is, so go easy on him." She said, wiping away tears as she did. My mother smiled. "I know what that's like, when he was younger, my husband was quite the outgoing man, always looking for a chance to prove himself." She giggled. "Then, Ruval was born, and then Reyes... and he finally settled down." She said. "He was so dashing when we met... I fell in love almost immediately. There was simply no question that he was my Spark." She laughed.

"Spark...? Why does that sound like the Primal Directive?" Asuka asked. "Primal Directive?" My mother questioned. "Oh, the Primal is an... internal chemical reaction that Ikara Kallen bred into us... it helps us to identify the most suitable candidates for mating." Yuri explained. "Although... Ancestor Ikara... was the only person to ever have a Primal reaction to two people." He continued. "What made him any different?" I asked. He looked at me for a moment in confusion. "Hi- Him? Ikara Kallen... the greatest Devil general to ever exist... was a woman." He said.

 _Well... that's a surprise._ "Not only that..." He started. "But she only ever slept with women." He finished. His mind seemed to drift off to something else. "Where is Father Phenex? I need a word with him." He asked. "He's in his study, it's on the right side of the stairs." Mother said. I wondered what exactly he needed to speak with Father about, but shook it off. _I doubt it really matters yet, but when it becomes important, I'm sure he'll let us know._


	17. Chapter 16 - Declaration

**Chapter 16**

 _ **Yuri - Phenex Manor, 6 P.M.**_

 __Lord Phenex's eyes scanned my face, likely attempting to see whether I was serious in my conviction or not. "So you're really going to do this?" He asked. I nodded. "I feel it's time for this, if it isn't going to be me, then it'll be one of my children with your daughter, and honestly, I'd prefer it to be me." I told him. "They should be here any minute, so..." I began. He waived me off for a moment. "I understand... okay... you have the full support of the Phenex Clan... until you feel this is settled, we are at your disposal." He said.

I thanked him profusely, then turned to open the door. "They're here." I said. He nodded. "How many are there?" He asked. "If everyone I asked to be here attends, there should be roughly ninety." I told him. He nodded a second time. "Very well, I suppose we should give them a proper greeting, eh?" He asked. We walked out of his office, and were bombarded with the sounds of laughter and general uproar. "Apologies beforehand, the Clans can get quite boisterous." I said. He allayed my concerns. "Nonsense, warriors like yourself fight and die for the honor of your people, I think a little self expression is warranted. Besides, if half of what you've told me is true, then they need this." He said.

As we turned the corner, we were greeted with a massive assortment of people, all of whom I recognized, conversing loudly amongst them selves. Some of them had even taken to sparring with one another. Ravel drifted gracefully through the crowd, avoiding the strikes of others who either didn't see her, or didn't care. She looked at me expectantly as the others continuously increased in volume. As she took a spot next to me, I coughed, trying to clear my throat as best as possible.

"Good evening, every- Uhh, hello... nope, fuck it." I said. I rubbed my temples for a moment, then sucked in a deep breath. "SHUT THE FUCK UP!" I screamed. My outburst seemingly quelled their violent raging. I took a breath in, then blew it out. "I swear to... Fucking... every god in existence... we're you all this loud before I left, and I somehow didn't notice? Heh... alright... it's been a while hasn't it... everyone?" I asked. The room erupted in cheers, causing me to reel back slightly.

I shook my head, trying to regain some semblance of composure. "Okay... well, I know all of you... and I remember what we went through together, all the in-fighting, the struggle under... HIM, the anger he caused us... then... I left, to train my mind and body past the limits that I had buckled under." I said, turning around to face Ravel. "Eventually I came back to you all. But, then I left again. Please don't mistake what I'm saying, I don't regret it. Since... well I met her." I said, motioning to her. Her blush was all I needed to break into a grin.

"Well... I'm coming back... one final time. This time, it's to kill that fuck, Redrick." He said. Another roar of cheering, and I put my hand up. "Alright, alright. But I think it's important to specify something. My intentions, are not to stand with the status quo, but to do something that we never even considered. My intentions are to rejoin the 30 Clans... with the original sphere of Devils." I told them. Murmurs, a ton of them, spread across the room like a blaze in a forest. One of them, a younger girl, probably fourteen, raised her hand. "What about our parents?" She asked.

I sighed. _Of course that's something they'd ask, why wouldn't they?_ "Well... that's the thing isn't it... if no one in their generation steps up to challenge a leader, or they're all defeated, then the remaining peoples are required to swear fealty to the King or Queen. Your parents either died or did that. Now look, I know most of the Clans have no love for Redrick, but some of them do... some of them would go so far as to defend him, even if that means killing you all. It doesn't matter that you're their children, if Redrick wants you dead, you better believe that some of your parents will step up to the plate willingly." I said.

Another wave of murmuring erupted from the crowd, and another girl raised her hand. This one was older than me, and I remembered her as one of the more well known survivors of the Rites. "We know, and... well... you're the King we want, Lord Kallen... if our parents can't see that... then we're ready to do what we have to." She said. I nodded. "That's good to hear, I hope you all are truly ready. We leave in a few hours, and I want him dead within the next three days." I said.

Another eruption of cheers. "Are... are you sure about this?" Ravel asked. I nodded. "When... I left, I turned my back on my village, I threw away what I had helped them build, this is my way of making it up to them, so they can't ever say I never did anything for them." I told her. She nodded, then wrapped herself around me. "I... want to come too... I don't to fight, but... I don't want to not be next to you." She said. I nodded.

 _I at least owe her that._

 _ **Sorry for the last two chapters being so short, next chapter will be much longer, I just needed to get an idea of how I wanted this to go, and it took me a while.**_

 _ **Anyway, I hope you enjoyed.**_

 _ **Cheers.**_


	18. Chapter 17 - To Slay a King

**Chapter 17**

 **Yep... it's back... it has... been a while. I can't really promise that I'll be putting this story back on the forefront anytime soon, but my other FF, RWBY: Grey, will end after about 30 chapters, so once that one's done, this one will become my main story again. As thanks for your patience, you get an enormous chapter.**

 _ **Yuri - Siberian Wasteland, Time Unknown.**_

 __Ravel's head pushed back into me, sliding into the space between my shoulder and chest. I smiled, shifting her slightly so that I could ensure she didn't slip from my arms. She had fallen asleep about halfway there, and I had taken to carrying her. The rest of the group had gone ahead, and I had been waiting until they were a sufficient distance so that I could do what I had been considering for a while.

I sat her down on the snow, using just a bit of my magic to form a heat barrier to keep her from freezing. She shivered despite my attempts to keep her warm, and I resolved to finish quickly. I pressed my fingers to her forehead. _"Alright... little Phoenix... I've sensed you before... so don't hide from me... reveal yourself."_ I commanded. The gasp from deep within her mind was all that I required to know that I had gotten through. _"Umm... you knew I was here?"_ Came the soft reply. _"Of course I did... energy like yours is pretty obvious to someone like me."_ I explained.

The young Phoenix inside Ravel began panicking, much to my surprise. _"Hey... hey... calm down... jeez, and I thought Phoenixes were supposed to be a proud race... you're nothing but a coward."_ I said. _"I... I am not! I'm young... so I'm not ready to die!"_ She shouted. _"Don't your kind die and then get reborn?"_ I asked. _"Well... yeah... but only if we die naturally... if we get killed... then that's it."_ She said. _"Okay... that's not relevant right now... I'm just here to ask you to keep my fiancee safe until I'm finished."_ I said. _"Okay... I... can do that much... I'm not strong like the dragon is... so make it quick!"_ She demanded. "Alright... you got it."

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

 _ **Ravel - Siberian Wasteland, Time Unknown.**_

 __I could feel my mind swirling, dizziness the only thing recognizable. _It's so cold._ I shivered heavily, then realized I was lying on the snow. I tried standing up, but struggled. _Wait... Why am I alone... where's Yuri?_ My sight blurred as I tossed and turned to search for him. _"Easy there... he's alright, but you need to get up as soon as possible."_ A voice called from inside. "Huh!? Who's there!?" I nearly screamed. _"Hey, inside voices please. I'd like to be able to hear after our conversation has finished."_ Her request rang out in my head. _"Oh... by the way, my name is Nashana. I'm your Phoenix."_ She finished.

"My... my Phoenix? You... why are you here now?" I asked. I felt almost every ounce of my energy drain from my body, a small red orb darting from my body. It shifted its shape violently, then eventually gained a more humanoid form. As it gained color and texture, I was amazed at just how beautiful she was. Her flowing red hair was splayed across her shoulders, bright orange eyes that burned with a true Phoenix's fire. Her dress was minimal, with only scraps of yellow fabrics covering her nudity.

"Hiya sweetheart!" She laughed. "Wow... it's been almost eighteen years since I've been outside of your tiny body little one, ahhh... it feels so nice to breath with my own lungs..." She sucked in a deep breath, then let it trickle from her lips. "Oh... your future husband was attacked by some strange men." She stated. I felt my blood run cold. "WHAT!?" I screamed. "Oh... it's nothing serious... he left you here with me to keep you out of the line of fire... he's still doing just fine." She explained.

"So... he's okay... alright then. Why did you wait to talk until now?" I asked. "Well... I was actually sleeping... at least I was until you met Yuri. His presence woke me, and I haven't been able to get back to sleep since then." She said. "Umm. Okay... I'm still a bit panicked... where is Yuri?" I asked. She closed her eyes for a moment, then shot them back open. "Wow... that's harder than it looks... he's about a mile to the north, of course... through this raging blizzard, it's almost impossible to see." She said.

"Can you help me get there?" I asked pleadingly. "Oh, sure... but... there's one thing... Yuri didn't want you over there... unless you knew the dangers." She said. I was fuming. "I'm immortal for fuck's sake! Of course I know I might get hurt... of course it'll be painful... but I love him... and I want to be there with him." I cried. "Very well." She sighed, before changing her tune slightly. "But are you strong enough to be of any help should the time come?" She asked. "What... I'm... not strong... I'm only good with magic..." I explained. "Why... do I need to be strong?" I asked.

"Silly girl... you think that your man will simply settle for you if you're weak? His dragon told you exactly what happened when he met a warrior that was a match for him, right?" She said. My mind flashed to an image of Yuri standing with Freja, and my mind was filled with anger. "I don't care if I'm strong enough! He chose me, so it'll be me who stands with him!" I shouted. "Attagirl. Now... what if I told you that you **can** be strong enough to help if he needed you to?" She asked. "I... I can... how?" I asked worriedly.

"You can do exactly the same thing Yuri does with Yuki... you and I can become one... as you and I **were** once supposed to be like them." She said. "Wait... really? You and I were meant to be a partnership rather than having a draw relationship?" I asked. "Yep... except before you and I were able to meet personally... you fell ill... so obviously, I did too... but you got so sick that I ended up sleeping, while you eventually got better." She explained. "I'm sorry." I said. "Sorry? Sorry for what? It wasn't anyone's fault you got sick... you just did." She said.

I smiled. Underneath her wild and untamed air was a sweet and youthful figure. "Okay... so... we're going to become partners?" I asked. "Oh... we already are dear... you just have to tell me you accept me... that's all I need, then we can get started." She said. "O-Oh... alright... I guess that you weren't inside of me for no reason, so I accept you, Nashana." I said. She clapped her hands together. "Great!" She said as she touched her fingers to my forehead. "Now... you may feel a bit lightheaded." She warned.

I felt my body go numb, and my knees buckled. I could feel energy pouring into me, but it was as though it were a different kind, it burned even hotter than my own flame, searing what felt like my very core. But while it was undeniably hot, it wasn't painful in the least. The burning lasted for a moment, then the heated slowly dissipated. I stood up back on my feet, trying to make sense of what had just happened. Nashana had backed away slightly, and was seemingly attempting to see if I was alright. "You need any help?" She asked. I looked at her for a moment, then shook my head. "Well, just look at you, already twice the woman you were just a moment ago." She chimed.

I wasn't sure what she meant, but it didn't matter, at this point, my fiance was in the middle of something that I needed to be with him for. "Where's Yuri?" I asked. She looked at me for a moment, then shrugged. "No idea, you have my power now, so you need to be the one to use it." She said. _Well that's frustrating, but understandable._ I tried my hardest to understand exactly what I needed to do, but ended up lost... trying to search for someone else's energy wasn't something I'd ever done before. "How do I do it?" I asked. "Oh... you have to think about him, then try to send out a bit of your energy, after a minute or so, pull it back to you, and it'll sort of map the area around you." She explained.

I tried my hardest to force my energy out of me, and sure enough I succeeded, although it drained me severely. "Ooohhh, that was a bit too much, I think." She winced. "Sorry, only used to using energy for magic." I explained. "Oh well... give it a few seconds, then pull it back." She said. I did so, waiting for a moment, then yanked on the energy. As it rushed back to me, I immediately recognized Yuri in the mixture of nature that filled my senses. It was as though I could reach out and touch him. I locked onto him, then realized just how far he was from us. "I can't run that fast." I noted.

Nashana looked at me for a moment, then giggled. "Well, with this new, super-awesome body of yours, you'll probably be able to cover several miles in the space of ninety seconds." She said. "What!? New body?" I wondered loudly. As I looked down, I noticed my legs had become quite a bit longer than I remembered, along with changes to a number of other proportions. "Uh... what happened to my body?" I asked. "Oh? Well... you and I were supposed to grow as a pair, from the day we were born together, to the very end, however, because you ended up getting sick, and I fell asleep, that never really happened. Because of that, when you accepted me as a partner, and I gave you my energy, you grew." She explained.

"So... how tall am I now?" I asked. "Oh don't worry dear... you're... taller, let's put it that way." She said with a smile. "Ugh...alright, it's not as though I have time to worry about it." I said. "That's right! Now let's go get hubby!" She giggled. She disappeared into what I assumed was me, then I stretched my legs, realizing how much stronger my body felt. "Wow... I've changed a lot more than you said, haven't I?" I asked. "Yeah... I guess... don't worry, you're still gorgeous, and I don't think your man will have any problems with the way you look now." She assured me.

I sighed, then shot myself upwards. _Wow... I'm a lot stronger now... I can get there fast, I want to be with him... and I can hold my own now, so maybe..._ I shot a bit of energy from my back, using the force to move forward. _"Wow... you're pretty good at this!"_ Nashana stated happily. "Well... it's a lot more like using magic than I thought before, so I'm actually pretty used to the feeling." I explained. _"Oh? Well that's good to hear, now let's get a move on before your lover starts without us!"_ She giggled.

I shot across the snow as fast as my body would allow, the air ripping through my dress. _"So... why did you wear a dress to Siberia?"_ She asked. "Uh... well..." _"You weren't expecting to do any fighting... right?"_ She finished. I nodded. _"Well, that's okay, your body's ready for whatever comes next, so you'll be fine."_ She promised. I continued my dash for another minute, before screeching to a halt next to Yuri.

He turned with a rather satisfied grin, his eyes tracing my body as he smiled. "Hmm... not bad... it looks like you two pair well." He laughed. "Now then, I can borrow her from you." He said. "B-Borrow? What do you mean?" I questioned. "My fifth Sub-Species." He said. "How... is she in any way related to your Longinus?" I asked. He sighed, putting his hand on my shoulder. "Well... it was never really meant to be a Sub-Species, to be honest, and it was only ever meant to be used with Freja." He said. I had to admit, his words made me feel a little bitter.

"Eh, well... it's not like I created it with her in mind... it's just at the time I developed the concept, she was the only one who would have been a viable partner for it." He said. "I... don't get it." I replied. He sighed again. "Freja, as a Goddess, has a lot of spiritual energy, you know, like Eden and Yuki. This fifth Sub-Species was supposed to let me tap into someone's latent spiritual power, and use it for myself." He explained. "Now that you have Nashana, I can use your powers instead." He said.

"Oh... I think I get it. But why did you have to wait until now to do this, couldn't you have tried it a while ago?" I asked. "No... your spiritual energy, while stronger than most, wouldn't be enough, if I had tried, it would have put you in immense pain." His hand slid from my shoulder to my cheek, and the warmth of his fingers on my face was very welcome. "And seeing you in pain... is the last thing I'd ever want." He said. I leaned up to kiss him, and as our lips met I realized just how much taller I'd really become. I pulled back, now seeing that I was almost eye level with him.

"Well, I suppose that you're still cute, even when you're tall." Yuki's voice rang out. I reeled back in surprise, and would have fallen to the ground had Yuri not steadied me. "How's it looking?" He asked. She popped into view a few feet from us, and began pacing slowly, the horns on her head bobbing with her breaths. "He got the message, then again, it's nigh impossible to mistake half of your men being slaughtered by a dragon." She grinned. "That's a good girl. Now, it's time for the rest of you to arrive as well. Eden, Baphomet! Join us!" His called echoed across the snow.

As if, and likely, on cue, the two small spheres of light dashed from an unknown previous location to his side. The tiny girl bouncing due to the freezing snow under her feet, and the feminine demon stoic as always despite the harsh cold ripping through the lands. "Papa." Eden began, before her tone and manner completely changed. "I... I cannot assist you in the necessary way in this form, do I have permission to revert back to normal?" She asked in a voice much more mature than her body would indicate.

He looked at her for a moment, then nodded. "You do, my dear daughter." He said. Eden pressed her hands together for a moment, then a small white sphere encompassed her, growing larger by the second, until finally it peaked. It was nearly my height, and huge in circumference. It spun quietly, and would seem entirely still to an unaware eye. All at once, it was gone, as noiseless as it was when it was present. But what remained where it once was, left me stunned.

I couldn't see Eden as anything other than the cute toddler that had taken to calling me "Mama." But now, a beautiful girl who looked about my age stood in her place. Her long, flowing silver hair was all that covered her nudity, and she had the same, pupil-less white eyes that seemed to see nothing but a person's soul. She turned to me, smiling, then tossed her arms around me. "Mother, you've gotten taller." She giggled. It startled me for a moment, but I hugged her against me. "You're one to talk dear." I laughed.

She turned to Yuri, then took his arm in hers. "Umm... Papa, I'm sorry for going back to this form." She said. He smiled and shook his head. "Not at all, my daughter, your body is your own. I just need you like this for a little bit dear." He said. She cupped his chin in her hand, and pecked both of his cheeks. "Very well, Papa... I'll be your Sword." She said. "Baphomet?" He asked. The tiny goat girl bowed her head, grinning wildly. "Yes, Master... once more... I become your Shield." She giggled.

He turned to his partner. "And you, dear Shirayuki?" He asked. She extended her hand to him. "Are you questioning my devotion to you, dear love of mine?" She asked. "Not at all, but I'll always give you the option to say no, because what self-respecting man wouldn't?" He laughed, taking her hand between his. "Well then, Yuri Kallen, I once again become your Armor." She smiled.

A large blast of air rushed across my skin, the cool temperature licking the hairs on the back of my neck. I beckoned Yuri to me, and once he was close enough, tucked myself into him. I **was** tall, but no tall that I couldn't bury my face into his neck. His warmth was wonderful, and made my skin sing with glee. My heart was pounding, his proximity was so enticing, the heat of our bodies mingling. Despite the obvious desire between the two of us to stay in this position, he pushed me away after a moment. As I looked at him, he changed, his docile smile began to twist into something more sinister, akin to the grin he had when he and Bael battled.

"He's coming. They all are." He noted. A cracking sound broke the whistle of the air, and my spinning around was greeted with the masses of people who had once graced my home. One of them, a dark skinned girl, bent down on her knee. "My King... Redrick will arrive soon." She said. "Don't call me that!" He snapped, startling her. "I have a name, that is what you will call me. I am no King." He said. "Ugh... he's always been like that." Came Freja's voice from beside me. I almost jumped out of my skin, but my curiosity kept me grounded. "What do you mean?" I asked her.

"Well... when we met, he had been... ummm... humoring the idea of fighting Redrick... but... he has this... aversion to being considered by anything other than who he is." She said. "Really? I... actually... now that you mention it... he does seem like a person who'd prefer meritorious acknowledgment to everything else." I noted. "Oh... that reminds me, you and I need to have a heart-to-heart once this is all over." She said. I nodded, affirming her statement, before Yuri called me over. He took my hands in his, and I could feel the heat from his Sacred Gear encompass my fingers. "Nashana... will you be... my Wings?" He asked.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

 _ **Yuri**_

The fiery spirit giggled at my request, revealing herself from Ravel's body. "What does my lover's lover want?" She asked. "Lover? You'd best hope you haven't touched my wife, else you'll regret it." I warned. "Oh not at all, but don't think you get her all to yourself." She smiled. "I **do** , get her to myself." I grinned. She took my hand. "Whatever, I can feel your opponent closing in, you just need my energy, right?" She asked. "Yes, so if you're cooperating I need it now." I said. She turned to Ravel. "Are you okay with this? It's your energy too." She asked.

Ravel nodded, and Nashana gleefully spun around, then launched herself at me. Ravel gasped as she quickly pressed her lips to mine. We stayed silent and still for a moment, then she pulled away. "Sorry hon, doing that is hands down the quickest way to pass energy." She told her. "U-... Oh... okay." She said. I wrapped my arms around her. "When this is over, I want you." I told her. "Huh? What do you mean?" She asked. Freja grabbed her by the arm, and pulled her to the side. "You're coming with me for a bit, Missy." She said.

She pulled Ravel a few feet from us, then snapped her fingers. They disappeared, then reappeared almost instantly. "Really? I... guess that's fine." Ravel said. "HEY! WE'RE HERE!" Miana called. She sailed over the hill of snow a few hundred feet from us. "I brought your friends, just like you asked." She said. As I had requested before we left, she had gathered Issei and his friends. Issei's pale face broke into a grin when he saw me. "Hey! When she told us that she was taking us to Russia, I kinda freaked out!" He laughed.

He stepped to the side, and a red-haired girl began to speak up. I stopped her before she really had a chance to say anything. "Redrick's right there." I noted, pointing to a large patch of a moving snowstorm. "Really? You can tell?" Issei asked. "Yep... REDRICK! Get out here!" I screamed. The snowstorm jerked upward, then charged toward me. I felt the cold snow drag itself across my skin, then a hand around my throat.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

 _ **Ravel**_

 __I had to take a breath to compose myself after I witnessed Yuri get overwhelmed. My composure was warranted, as the cloud quickly dashed away. Baphomet was standing in front of him, her palm facing the direction the cloud was sent flying. "Get away from him." She snarled. Her horns had begun to radiate with such an intense heat that the snow on the ground around them had begun to melt. "Eden." He said softly. The girl, now clad in a dress of pure light, jumped in front of him, her hands burning with a bright energy.

She shot forward, casting an enormous light into the storm. It dissipated slowly, and the remaining entity left me confused. _Redrick's a... boy? That's... you know what? I'm not going to question it._ The boy's light blonde hair drifted across his forehead, but his cold blue eyes were sharp and focused on Yuri. His voice was deep and in stark contrast to his childish appearance. "You're scum, Kallen. You should have known better than to challenge the King." He said. Yuri laughed as Eden put her hand on his shoulder. "You may be a King, but I'm a monster, one who's come to take back its territory." He said.

Yuri pounced forward, wrapping his left hand around Redrick's forehead, and slammed his right fist into his jaw. The impact sent him flying across the tundra, and as he slowed, Yuri dashed to close the distance, slamming his fist into the small man's chest. His hand went straight through, as Redrick became the storm cloud once more, and moved to Yuri's back. "Yuki." Yuri whispered. Redrick swung a blade he removed from his cloak at Yuri's neck.

 **CLANK!** The dagger pinged against the scales that now occupied Yuri's neck. Yuri swiped his newly formed claws at Redrick's face. As the claws dug into the man's skin, his face twisted into one of agony, and he launched himself away from Yuri. As he skidded to a halt on the slick snow, he threw two more small daggers towards his opponent. Yuri's body deflected them easily, as they simply bounced off of his scales. Redrick became the storm again, dashing into Yuri, another dagger pulled. The blade slashed into Yuri's side, where the scales had apparently not grown.

Yuri staggered backwards, one hand clawing into Redrick, his other darting to his side. Redrick staggered back as well, then slammed his palms into the ground. The snow drifted upwards, cascading over his body, until it finally covered him in his entirety. "The King of Storms, Redrick." Freja said. "King of Storms?" I asked, watching as my fiance continued to assault his opponent. "Yuri once told me a story, I think... that it went something like this:" She started.

 _"When Redrick was born, it was a down period for the 30 Clans, the children had become rather weak, and the current King, Arkas, was well into his ninth decade as ruler. Redrick, who was born on a cloudless day in the middle of spring, was incredibly weak as an infant, and wasn't expected to survive for more than a few months to a year at most. But he didn't die, he lived on despite the indications to the opposite. Then one day, after he had completed his Rites, he disappeared. No one knows where he went, supposedly not even him, as he had blacked out. But when he awakened, he was floating in the middle of a storm cloud."_

 _"In his own words, it was as though the air around him was willing to bend to his command, even the storm seemed to be under his control. Eventually, he figured out how to get rid of the cloud, and found himself in the far reaches of the tundra, where even the Rites wouldn't take him. So, he was obviously lost. Strangely enough, whenever he was certain he would starve, the storm cloud would either find food, or just reviving him after he'd pass out. It took him months to return to the village, and the people, who long believed he was dead, were stunned. After his return, his power to control that storm cloud made him formidable. There was no opponent that was capable of even reaching him, especially considering the generation he was born into."_

 _"After several years, he turned 20, and he challenged the King to a duel. Now, despite Arkas' advanced age, he was still incredibly powerful. Because of this, no one was expecting to see Redrick easily defeat him. After they completed the burial ritual, Redrick was crowned King. This caused a bit of uncertainty in the Elders, as some were concerned that Redrick, being so young, would try to change the ways of the Clans. But in the end, he was more of a strict traditionalist than Arkas was. Over time, the people began to hate him, but recognized his strength. Many people wanted to depose him, but with the backing of the Elders, the job became ten times more difficult than normal."_

Eden blasted Redrick away from Yuri once more, sending a wave of light straight through him. He staggered, then fell on to his back, coughing up blood. He stayed there for a moment, then righted himself. "Heh... you think this is fun, don't you? This... farce you've been playing at... it's sickening to think that you believe victory will come to you." He said. A dark blue light began pulsating beneath him. "The Light of the Elders." Freja said. "Yuri's talked about it, but I've never seen it." She said. "What is it?" I asked.

She pondered the question. "I believe... it's supposed to be a shield of sorts... or... a barrier that regenerates the youthfulness of anyone who enters it. That's why Redrick looks so young, he has a genuine fountain of youth at his disposal." She explained. "It... basically makes him invincible." She said. "Then... how is Yuri supposed to beat him?" I asked. "Easy... wait... he did get some of your energy, right?" She asked. I nodded, and she sighed in relief. "Good... you see, that shield is designed to take eight elemental energy-charged attacks. It just so happens that each of his spirits can give him their element for two attacks." She said.

It took me a moment, then it finally hit me. "So wait... he needed Nashana for the element she uses?" I asked. She nodded. "Probably, he'll only be able to use his element to charge two meaningful attacks." She said. "So... each of his spirits will give him two attacks... totaling six... Nashana's will give him two more for eight, and his own equals ten." I counted out loud. "Indeed, he'll finish this fight soon. It took me fifteen minutes to tell Redrick's story anyway." She said. "It's been that long?" I asked.

She nodded. "I knew you didn't notice... ooh, by the way, I need you for a bit once Yuri's done with you after the fight." She said. Her likely unintended secrecy made me worry as to what she needed me for, but I ignored my worry, and refocused on the fight. Yuri had gathered the three girls in front of him. Redrick, who's body was now fully consumed by the blue light, wounds had healed with seemingly no problem.

"Alright girls... one last hoorah for me, okay?" He said. The three, who were panting, exception being Yuki, who was visibly tired, but was seemingly able to hold back her exhaustion, nodded at his request. "Let's go, then." He said. "Eden." He said. He put his hand on her head, and her body faded away, back to the small bright sphere I had become so accustomed to seeing. She sphere darted into his right arm, and after glowing for a moment, coated it in a bright light.

He did the same with Baphomet, her body reverting to a black sphere and coating his left arm in a cold, black darkness. Eden's light had hardened, and smooth, pearly, solid substance remained. It glistened in the piercing sunlight. Baphomet's light had hardened as well, his arm now bearing a spiked, black gauntlet. It seemed heavy, and looked incredibly sturdy. Yuki wrapped her arms around him, the melded into his body. The scales that had disappeared returned, now coating any part of his body that wasn't already coated with the other two's energy.

His now blue skin was beautiful, and quite striking against the glaring light. He strained for a moment, then a pair of white wings broke through the scales on his back. "Jeez, Nashana, you didn't tell me having wings was this painful!" He complained. She giggled, then shrugged. "I figured I'd let you find out for yourself." She said. He grumbled for a moment, and I took the time to admire what he had become. His blue body was rather well suited to him, his arms looked strong enough that even the Satan's couldn't withstand an onslaught from him, and the wings on his back burst into flame.

"Redrick! Get ready to die." Yuri called calmly. He dashed forward. "Light!" He shouted as he slammed his right fist into the tiny man's stomach. The sound of shattering glass echoed across the snow, and the color of Redrick's shield lost a bit of its intensity. Another hit lessened it further. "Earth!" This attack came from his left hand, and sent Redrick staggering back. After a second hit, his blue was translucent, and a pained expression was clear on his face.

"Snow!" A third attack came, the scales on his body now extended to his arms, which had become bare after Eden and Baphomet bowing out from exhaustion. His claws sliced into the barrier, which frayed visibly. It wobbled under the pressure of the second strike from Yuki, then finally scrapped itself back together. Yuri jumped backwards, distancing himself from an obviously tired Redrick.

"Flame!" He called out. With the distance between he and Redrick sufficient, he unleashed a stream of fire from his palms that melted away the barrier. It struggled visibly to reform itself, but Yuri finally shattered it with a fist coated in flame, and his body returned to normal, his scales and wings dissolving slowly. With the barrier finally gone, Redrick dropped to his knees, laughing jovially. "That's it Kallen! You've dried up all of your Spirit's energies, haven't you? That means that I win! Without their energy to keep you stable, your body is a just a punching bag for me to eradicate!" He laughed.

He dashed forward slamming his fist into Yuri's chest. His fist passed straight through, Yuri's body now a smoke black substance, similar to Baphomet. His hand clamped around Redrick's wrist. "Wrong Redrick, I won this battle the day I started showing my spirits how much I love them. That was... roughly the day I met them." He laughed, conjuring a black ball in his hands. He forced Redrick's mouth open with his free hand, then let the ball drop into his mouth. "This is going to be painful... but then again, I'm not so sure it's more painful than losing." He said.

Redrick staggered back, clawing at his throat, a horrified look on his face. He dropped to the ground again, then screamed as black spike slowly began to pierce through him from the inside. His screams rang in my ears, until finally, after what seemed like eternity, he fell to the ground, finally lifeless. Yuri's hand shot up, acknowledging his victory. His head turned to me, the smile on his face telling me more than the wound on his side did.

Finally, I let out a hefty sigh that I'd been holding in since the duel began. The crowd behind me who had been totally silent throughout roared in approval of the battle, and began surging forward to celebrate their ally's victory. He weaved in and out of the groups, making his way to us. Nashana returned to my spirit, and was noticeably happier than before. Yuri lifted me ever so slightly off of the ground, pressing his lips to mine. I reveled in the moment, although a little embarrassed given the crowd. He put me down, a smile plastered to his face. "I'll do this coronation ceremony, then we can do what I said before." He said.

 _Honestly? Right now... I'm just glad he's okay... but I really didn't know he was that strong._


	19. Chapter 18 - The Oath

**Snow Dragon & Fire Phoenix Chapter**

 _ **Ravel Phenex, Okretsk Village Outskirts. Time Unknown.**_

 __Yuri pulled me along the snow-covered pathway which was nearly invisible to me, grinning vibrantly as his warm fingers gripped my wrist. "Where are we going in such a hurry?!" I asked. He yanked me a little harder, the coat that he'd thrown on hastily dragging in the snow. "Not telling!" He teased. "And if you keep asking, we won't go at all." He added. I huffed silently at the decidedly parental tactic he'd chosen, but in the end, I simply followed where he pulled.

Eventually, after what seemed to be at least ten minutes of sprinting in the blinding snow, a small black hole in a hill greeted us. Yuri cast a bit of magic over the snow, revealing a small tomb, with the name **Ikara Kallen** embossed in the side. "Uh... why are we here? Please tell me we aren't here to visit a skeleton." I begged. He gave me a happy smile. "Well... I... doubt she'd appreciate you calling her a skeleton." He said.

He pulled me through the entrance, and a warm gray glow bathed us in light. The crypt was barren save for large stone box laying in the center of the room. Yuri dashed to it, then slammed his foot into the side. "WAKE YOUR OLD ASS UP!" He shouted gleefully. The lid of the box slammed open, and I heard a soft grunt echo from inside. An arm shot up into view, nearly stopping my heart in surprise. "Yuuuuuuriiii, help me up!" A small voice rang through the crypt. He grabbed the hand and yanked upwards.

A small flash of white hair blurred as the head shot up. A young-looking woman with enormous blue eyes shook her hair wildly as she stood from the box. She sucked in a deep breath, before blowing it out through her teeth. "Well... how has my favorite descendant been?" She asked. He wrapped his arms around her head, laughing as she struggled against him. "I've been well... Ancestor Ikara." He said.

It finally clicked, it was **her**... "That's... Ikara Kallen?" I asked, dumbfounded. She turned to me, her deep blue gaze flickering across me. It felt like she knew everything about me, despite us having never met. "Well... is this your newest plaything?" She asked him. "Not at all, Ancestor, she's my fiancee." He explained. Her eyes lit up in joy. "Oh my... you got engaged? She must be a wonderful girl." She noted, her eyes flicking from his face to mine. She clapped her hands together. "You two are going to have such beautiful children!" She shouted.

If I could have burst into flame from embarrassment, that would have been the moment. Yuri seemed to take it in stride, moving over to me, and lifting me to his side. "This is the only woman that I've ever considered making my wife. Please treat her with the respect she deserves, Ancestor." He said bluntly. Her gaze drifted around the crypt. "Very well, Dear. Have you two exchanged Rites?" She asked. "No... in fact, that's why I'm here." He started.

They spoke in hushed whispers for a few minutes, then she tossed herself onto him again. "I'll do it... but only because it's you, my darling." She said. "Thank you, Ancestor." He said, before looking to me. "What color dress would you like to get married in, dear?" He asked. I froze, I hadn't even given something like that a single thought until he said something. "Umm... well... I liked the purple dress that Yuki had made for me... but I'm afraid it no longer fits." I said.

He waved the thought away as quickly as I had stated it. "Irrelevant, Yuki can just have another one made, it takes nothing for her to create clothing like that." He said. "Oh... that's a relief. But..." I said, trailing off as he looked at me. "But what, my dear?" He asked. "I... I want you to wear the same color as you did when you met my family." I told him. "That deep blue? Very well." He said. My face lit up, happy that he had agreed. "We should be moving, then." Ikara said.

Confused, but no less willing to leave, I took Yuri's hand, and we quickly made our way from the crypt. "What about Ikara?" I asked. "She'll meet us where we need to be, right now we need to head back so Yuki can get us outfitted." He said. As we walked along in the cold sunset, something dawned on me that should have been brought up sooner. "What exactly... are we going to do?" I asked. "The... Oath of Sacred Starlight." He said.

"I... seem to recall you talking about that... what is it?" I asked. "It's... like... a marriage ceremony... only it's much more intimate... we typically have one person be a mediator between the Ancestors and the two who are partaking... no one else is permitted to witness it... just in case something goes wrong." He said. Although I was readily hung up on the part about marriage, the "something goes wrong" part of his explanation caught me off guard.

"What could go wrong?" I asked. "Uhh... well... the Oath was originally meant as a way to test the compatibility of two people, they would ask the Ancestors if they approved of the relationship between them, and the Ancestors would answer... now it's never gotten dangerous, but it would be rather shameful for the entire village to know if they disapproved." He said. As he said it, I felt myself awash with relief. "So... how do they tell you if you're a good match?" I asked. He winked at me. "I think it'd be best if I let you see that for yourself. I'd hate to ruin the surprise." He laughed.

We were silent on the walk back, our bodies close and our steps synced. He hummed happily as we walked, his soft song pure and wonderful in my ears. I wasn't sure why it sounded so familiar, so I asked him about it. "What is that song? I feel like I've heard it before." I said. "Oh. That's the Lovers Call... Ancestor Ikara wrote it so that when she sang it after a battle, her wife would know that she was alright, even when they were far away. When... did you hear it?" He asked. I thought back to where I had heard it, and after a moment, I could clearly recall it. "It was... the day that I bumped into you. I remember hearing it... in the morning... then I had this uncontrollable urge to go into the human world... that was when we met." She said.

"Hmmm... that's... a good sign for us... especially since I remember humming it in the morning..." He began. "After Ikara died, the song became a way for destined lovers to find one another. Apparently the true love of a soul can hear it from anywhere." He finished. "Umm... somehow that doesn't make sense... why was that the first time I heard it... I'm sure you've sung it before, right?" I wondered. "Yeah... but apparently it doesn't work unless you sing if perfectly. I hadn't really tried to sing it fully before... that was actually the first time." He said.

That excited me. _It was his voice that called out to me. That... makes me... really happy._ I wrapped my fingers in his, his hand tight and soft on my own. "When we get there, we need to find Yuki as quickly as possible so that we can arrive on time." He said. "Do we **need** to be there at a certain time?" I asked. "The ceremony needs to be performed when the moon is directly above us, it helps the Aurora be at its brightest, so there can be no mistake as to the Ancestors' wishes." He said. "Aurora?" I asked.

His hand shot over his mouth. "Oops, I let that slip." He grinned. "The Ancestors respond to a request with a brilliant Aurora, it's one of the most beautiful things that one can witness, supposedly." He said. "It sounds... breathtaking." I said. "I've only heard things about it, obviously I've never done it personally." He said. I shuddered, the cold finally getting to me. "Let's hurry, I'm starting to freeze out here." He lifted me into his arms, and promptly began gliding across the ground with me in tow. "I changed my mind, I asked Yuki to meet us at the peak." He said.

It took us a few minutes, but the snow had stopped falling and Yuki's blue-white hair had come into view long before we arrived. The darkness almost seemed to linger a little more heavily on Yuri, who looked to be playing with it. "You two seem ready, let me get you dressed up." She said. "Yuri already explained what you two wanted." She said. "Hopefully you can make it long enough for me." I said. "Don't doubt me now, hon. I'm the spirit of the strongest Devil ever born." She said.

"That's... a little exaggerated, don't you think?" I asked. "Not at all." Came Ikara's voice from behind me. "Yuri is incredibly strong... I'm rather disappointed in you, Descendant... only using a negligible amount of your power against Redrick... oh well... it's no matter, you're the King now." She said. "Whine to someone who cares, Ancestor, I decided he wasn't worth the effort." Yuri quipped. Ikara threw her hands up innocently. "You'll never have fun if you don't go all out." She said.

"Enough, let's begin, the cliff face is in that direction." Yuri said, as Yuki snapped her fingers. A white light washed over me, and I instantly recognized it as the same energy as the last time she had dressed me. Sure enough, moments later, I was clad in the deep purple dress from before, and it still fit as perfectly as the first iteration. I turned to Yuri, who was also now donning the suit that I had asked him to wear.

He grabbed my hand and pulled me to a small cliff face nearby, the sheer drop falling mere feet, although it was plain to see how intimidating it might have been a few hundred years ago. "Ancestor." He said. "I... Ikara Kallen, will oversee the Oath of Yuri and..." She began. "Ravel." I said. "Yuri, and Ravel." She finished. "Yuri, you will be the first to speak the Oath." She said. "Alright, follow along, my love, it's quite a mouthful, and you can't mess it up." He said. _Wow... talk about pressure._

 _ **Yuri**_

 __I cleared my throat as I looked at Ravel. _Shit... hopefully **I** can remember it. _ I began. "I. Yuri of the Kallen Clan, beneath the watchful gaze of the Ancestors, stand beside she who has captured my heart. With a wealth of strength, gifted by Those Before, I take the hand of her beside me with hopes of a vow of love, partnership, and protection. I alone truly understand her value in my eyes, as her worth to me is unparalleled. I swear on my title as King of the 30 Clans to protect, honor, and embrace the one beside me as though she were my other half, whether in times of battle, or in the everyday trials of life. I stand and speak these words to you, Ravel of the Phenex Clan. This... is my Vow, my Oath, to you, to the Stars, and to the Ancestors.

Ikara turned to Ravel. "As you'll be taking Oath with the King, you will address yourself as the Queen in this instance." She said. Ravel looked slightly unnerved, but continued anyway. "I, Ravel of the Phenex Clan, beneath the watchful gaze of the Ancestors, stand beside he who has captured my heart. With a wealth of strength, gifted by Those Before, I take the hand of him beside me with hopes of a vow of love, partnership, and protection. I alone truly understand his value in my eyes, as his worth to me is unparalleled. I swear on my title as Queen of the 30 Clans to protect, honor, and embrace the one beside me as though he were my other half, whether in times of battle, or in the everyday trials of life. I stand and speak these words to you, Yuri of the Kallen Clan. This... is my Vow, my Oath, to you, to the Stars, and to the Ancestors.

 **BOOM!**

 _Those... colors... I've never heard of the Ancestors answering... like this._


	20. Chapter 19 - Wander

**Snow Dragon & Fire Phoenix Chapter 19**

 _ **Ravel, Siberian Wasteland**_

 __I watched in wonder as the lights above burst in a stream of vibrant colors. Blues, pinks, and greens streaming brightly across the sky. I felt Yuri's hand entwine with mine, his fingers a warm contrast to the snow. I found it hard to take my eyes off of the lurid array of lights, but pulled my gaze away long enough to look to him. His face was calm, and it was difficult to determine his reaction to our result. "So... what does that mean?" I asked.

He looked down to me, his eyes filled with a strange lack of emotion. Then he smiled, putting his hand on my head. "Honestly... uhh... I don't know... no one's ever described a result like that." I admitted. Ikara jumped in, attempting to allay Ravel's concern. "That's the same result my wife and I got when we created the ritual." She said. The information came as a surprise to me, as my Ancestor had never explained her result to me. "Is that true?" Ravel asked.

Ikara nodded. "That is a superb result, however... it carries a warning." She said. "It warns that someday the two of you will be physically divided by a desire that one of you has." She explained. "So... one of us is going to leave for some reason?" Ravel asked, turning to me. "Well... now that you mention it... there was something I had planned on leaving for... but it would be at a very specific time in the near future." I said.

"You were planning on leaving?" She said. "Not permanently or anything. It's just... while was in the U.S... I found a pretty excellent concentration of spirits... and... I wasn't really interested in them at the time... but... meeting you changed my plans... and if you and I are going to have children... I'd like for them to have good spirits to contract with." I explained. Ravel nodded as her worried face broke back into a smile. "Oh... well... I hope you were at least planning to discussing it with me first." She laughed.

"Eh... yeah I was... but I am also dead set on going... regardless of whether or not you were okay with me leaving." I said. I had wanted to wait to explain my reasons for leaving until a few days or so before, but the Ancestors apparently wanted her to know, right now. I sighed then pulled her to me. "I'm going to ensure that our children have a bright future, and I won't let **anyone** stop that from happening." I said.

"That's fine, that's fine... I... I just want you to be forthcoming with me... we have to be honest with each other if our marriage is going to be happy." She said. "True enough, I was planning on telling you, but it I was honestly a bit more pressed with my meditation before the battle." I explained. "Ah, fair enough... so... you plan on leaving after the New Year, I assume?" She asked. "Yeah, spirits get riled up with all of the activity from Christmas and New Year's, so it's a good time to search for them." I said.

"Hmmm... if you're planning on heading to the U.S... you must be interested in Ababanili, right?" Ikara asked. "Yep... I felt her presence when I was traveling... she's quite the spirit." I proclaimed. "Umm... what's Ababanili?" Ravel asked. "Ababanili... the Great Fire Mother from Chickasaw legend... they say that she along with the other 4 Great Mothers created the world we live in... and while I doubt that to be entirely true... it does lend credence to her ability." I said.

"Indeed... and she's quite the cute little thing too!" Ikara giggled. "Oh... is she? I've never seen her, I've only ever felt her around." I said. "Oh don't worry, you'll know her when you see her!" She giggled harder this time. I stopped walking, the soft flakes of snow making streaks down my face as they melted on my skin. "Actually... I may have worded my intentions incorrectly." I said.

"My plan... is to get a single spirit from the States... Ababanili is my desired spirit... however... I think I may have said that I want to give her to our children... that is incorrect... my actual desire... is to have her pick up the slack where my current spirits will be missing." I explained. "Huh? What do you mean, dear?" Ravel asked. "I intend to give our children the spirits I currently have... starting with Yuki." I finished.

"You're... gonna give them up?" She asked. "Oh... no... they'll still be with me... I just want them to be the ones to help us guide our children." I smiled. "Have you talked to them about it?" Ikara asked. "I have spoken to Yuki, and she seemed thrilled by the request... Eden is willing, and Baphomet can be convinced." I laughed.

"Well... the girls are fond of you... and I think they'd be honored with such a task... but are you sure that Baphomet is a good choice for a child? Her temper can be a bit overwhelming..." Ikara asked. "True... but Baphy swore her eternal allegiance to me, and I think that she'll be more than willing to control her anger if it would please me." I smiled. "I suppose you're right... he might not have told you this, Ms. Ravel, but Baphomet is a high-class Rage Demon... she feeds off of violence and hatred." Ikara explained.

Ravel looked at me intently, then towards the direction of the village. "Is someone waiting for us in the village?" She asked. "Well, the girls might be, other than that... I think Issei and his friends may still be here... they haven't said anything about them leaving at least." I said, thinking back to the moments before we headed out into the snowfields. "Is everything okay?" I asked. "I feel like something is... watching, waiting... it feels odd." She said.

I tried to feel around the area, seeing if I could find whatever was bothering her, but I found it empty. "I... can't feel anything out of the ordinary... just try to ignore whatever it is you're feeling. After all... I'm here, so it should be fine." I said, giving her a soft smile. She shut her eyes, then nodded. "Right... you **are** here. Okay... I'll be alright." She promised.

With that, Ikara decided to use the time to slink away, stating that it would be beneficial for people to continue believing that she had passed away. I agreed with her, in case of any unsavory practices amongst the supernatural beings, she'd be a pretty big upset in any major scuffles. Ravel had returned to my mother and father, wanting to learn some of our history from them.

A familiar scent wafted into my path, and I turned my head slightly. "Freja... lovely to see you as always." I said. "You as well, my dear. I suppose you're here because you need something... correct?" I asked. "Indeed, I've been informed that you wish to search the United States for a certain spirit." She said.

"Ah... you want me to take care of **that**." I said. "If you would, I'd appreciate it." She said. "Then you exactly what I want in return, right?" I stated. Her face paled a bit. "I do." She said. "Good girl... dealing with things that we dislike is how we grow." I said. "Shut up, you just need one... right?" She asked. I nodded, and she disappeared back into the crowds nearby.

"I'm surprised she didn't forget about our agreement." I laughed. Another presence pushed itself into my surroundings. "Eden... everything alright?" I asked. She nodded. "Mother is busy with your dear Ravel... Oh! Wait, I'm here for you, how are you feeling? Maybe the others didn't notice, but I know you used a lot of energy during your fight. Do you need some of mine?" She asked.

I shook my head. "I appreciate it sweetie, but I'll be alright, I just need some sleep." I said, pressing my forehead to hers. "Your skin is always so cold... it's like you're made of ice." I teased. "Thank you, by the way." I added. "For?" She asked. "For agreeing with my selfish wish... it's not like you have any obligation to me... you're free to do as you please." I said.

She hummed a bit, then laughed. "You've been so good to me, even though I was designed to be a tool, you made me your family... I think this is my way of repaying you... you raised me, so I'm going to help raise your children... what did Ravel think of it, since we're on that topic?" She asked. "She seemed okay with it, although I suppose she may just be deferring to my judgment." I said.

"You're rarely wrong, so that seems like a safe bet... if you want us to help with your future children... I'll do it with a grin." She said. I patted the top of her head softly. "Oh... now that I'm thinking about it... have you decided on a time frame for heading to the U.S.?" She asked. "Well... if everything goes to plan... it'll be a few days from now... it's almost November's end, after all." I said. I heard a loud shout, someone calling my name from a distance, so I spun around to respond.

 _That... is not who I was expecting._


	21. Chapter 20 - Tonight We Feast

**Highschool DxD Snow Dragon and Fire Phoenix**

 **Chapter 20: Tonight We Feast**

Well... this is awkward... it's been... several months since I updated anything... I feel pretty bad about it, so here's a short update, with likely a little more to come soon after. But seriously though, you guys and gals have continued following and favoriting my work despite not hearing anything from me in months.

I love you all, you're truly awesome.

 **Yuri, Siberian Wasteland**

"Hephaestus? Is that you?" I asked, incredulous to her presence, especially here of all places.

The brawny, bronze Forge Goddess was clad in a revealing forge apron that covered only her front. Despite her nudity, she seemed unashamed of her own body. Not like there was much to be ashamed of, she would absolutely qualify for the description: "Gorgeous". Tall, with beautifully smooth, olive skin and short, snow white hair. In terms of facial beauty, she rivaled even Freja, which wasn't an easy ask. Every inch of her body was covered in colorful tattoos that made her form look like a walking art piece.

She pounced on me as I neared her, her bare arms sliding around my neck. She gave me a quick kiss on the cheek, before pulling back and studying me.

"Hmm... you've definitely gotten more handsome... but... how do you feel?" She asked.

"Feel... if you mean with the Flames... I feel fine, it really seems to fit me quite well, not to surprising considering Ikara stole it from God himself." I laughed.

She giggled in agreement. "He was so distraught when he told me, but the Flames are a masterpiece that I could only ever make once, so when he lost it, he was screwed."

She shifted back onto the balls of her feet, her incredible height forcing her to look down to me as she did.

"Although, I was more talking about how _you_ feel, you inherited one of my most prized creations, so in order to make sure it's being treated right, I need to make sure that you're doing okay." She explained. "Besides, I'm the one who stuck you with it anyway." She added.

"True... I won't complain about it, though, it's been pretty fun to have, although... I can't say I've... _needed_ it up to this point... that may change tonight, though." I said.

"Oh... how so? Hasn't your big battle with the old king ended?" She asked.

"Yeah! He wasn't any problem at all, but I'm the fifth King in this cycle... so tonight I get to announce the switch from a Kingship to a Queenship, which should be interesting." I said.

"Why? That's just something you can do whenever, right?" She asked.

"Yup... but since I'm the fifth King, the ladies will have the opportunity to make an attempt for the throne tonight, as per tradition." I explained.

"Oh... that's right! Redrick had been King for so long I had almost forgotten!" She said.

"Yep... I'm expecting at least a few challengers... I know I can count on one, at the very least." I said. I could feel a grin blooming on my face as I spoke, and Hephaestus seemed to understand my meaning.

"Well, I just came to see how you were doing, but do you mind if I stay and watch?" She asked.

"Of course! You're always welcome here Phae." I said. Phae had been my nickname for her since we had first met, and she _hated_ it. I could see from the sour look on her face that said hatred was still prevalent. She softened after a minute and smiled, giving me a wave, she turned to leave.

"I'll go get decent for tonight... I'll see you then." She said.

Returning her wave, I watched a column of fire consume her, then whittle down to nothing, leaving a pile of melted snow on the stone path. Laughing, I made my way back home.

Back to _my home._

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

 **Ravel, Siberian Wasteland**

Yuri had disappeared some time ago, but stories about him from Miana and his mother had served to keep me plenty entertained while he was absent. Near the end of their tales, however, my mind wandered to a few questions that I had for them.

"So... Yuki told me that Yuri saved Miana's life... can you tell me more about that?" I asked.

"Sure... that won't take too long. Miana's parents, her father specifically, had challenged Redrick for the throne, the was even for a while, but Redrick's defensive capabilities were immense, and he brought her father to his knees after a battle of attrition. Her mother jumped in, scared to lose her husband. That's what got them killed, and would have gotten Miana killed too, if Yuri hadn't intervened." She said.

"Oh I remember that! Wow, that was so long ago, it's been almost fifteen years at this point!" Yuri's father, Lars had entered the home silently, and was closing the door behind him as he spoke.

"He looked so fierce when he held her, far more filled with fury than any three year old had any right to be... that was probably due to a failure on my part, I was a worthless teacher." He laughed.

"Oh, you did fine, dear. Yuri was a slow starter, but you kept at it, and it really helped him learn. Anyway, Yuri had trouble speaking until he was about five, although you probably can't tell. When Redrick attempted to take Miana from the carrier she was in, Yuri snatched her up, and held her against him. Redrick could tell that Yuri was my child at a glance, and that was enough to give him pause, at least for a moment." She continued.

"That was the first time Yuki ever materialized outside of me... it was also the day my hair turned blue." Yuri's voice startled the four of us.

There he was, standing in the doorway. Eden, who had returned to her child form, was now riding on his shoulders. Baphomet was pressed against is back, trying her best not to look at us. Her face was covered in a rather heavy blush.

"Forgive the sudden intrusion, Mother, Father." He said, giving a light bow. "Baphomet was as interested in hearing this story as you were, Ravel." He said, pushing her in front of him.

"Forgive me, Mrs. Kallen." She said, bowing her head.

"Nonsense! All of you are my children... you'll always have a home here, even if Yuri seems to have forgotten that." She said.

"I didn't forget... I just didn't feel like I had enough to come home... speaking of growth, are you two ready for tonight?" He asked. His question seemed to be directed at Miana and Asuka.

"Yep!" Miana laughed.

"Always, my dear." Was his mother's calm reply.

"Good, as for you, my dear..." He started, looking to me.

"Wait just a little longer, after tonight, you'll have me all to yourself until I leave." He said.

His words, while not overly provocative, still managed to bring a blush to my cheeks. He swooped down, grabbing my face in his hands and planting a soft kiss on my forehead. With that, he turned around, and headed back to the door.

" _I'll see you all tonight... you'd best be ready."_

 **UPDATE:** REJOICE! I will indeed be able to post regularly once again... not _**as**_ often as I once did, but it's a hell of a lot better than being able to write 100 words every three or four days. Much Love.

 _ **LOOK FORWARD TO IT**_


	22. Chapter 21 - Quadra Union Demon

**Highschool DxD: Snow Dragon and Fire Phoenix**

 **Chapter 21: Emergence of the Quadra Union Demon**

Please don't forget to **Follow** , _Favorite_ , and _**Leave a Review**_.

I apologize if this chapter seems a little too crowded or oddly spaced, for some reason the tab key isn't indenting the document correctly, and even resetting it doesn't seem to change anything. Anyway, hope you enjoy this slightly longer update.

 **Ravel, Siberian Wasteland**

Yuri had darted away after bidding us goodbye, leaving a... rather ominous mood hanging in the air. Miana had begun to stretch herself, the soft popping of her joints being one of the only sounds permeating the otherwise dominant silence.

I felt confused... moreover, this silence made me feel scared.

"So... what's happening?" I asked, the concern I was feeling likely plastered all over my face.

"I get to fight him again... I'm so excited... it's been years." Miana laughed.

"Yeah, if tonight doesn't come a little faster, I may start trembling." Asuka replied.

Looking at her, she was indeed shivering slightly, rocking back and forth on her backside.

"Wait... so you're going to be fighting tonight... against Yuri?" I asked.

Miana's head bobbed up and down vigorously, her eyes sparkling with joy as she looked at me.

"Tonight is the night the final King of this cycle takes the throne, and as tradition states, the next ruler has to be a Queen... in order to ensure the best possible candidate takes the throne, after the fifth ruler in each cycle is affirmed, the opposite gender is allowed to immediately make an attempt at the new King, if anyone feels like they could beat him." She explained.

"Do you think you can beat Yuri, dear?" Lars asked, massaging Asuka's shoulders softly as he asked.

"I don't know, love... it's been a while since we last sparred together, but I think I can bring him down." She said.

"My Mom is the strongest warrior in our village."

Yuri's words echoed in my head. Looking at her, she hardly seemed like a fierce warrior. But then again, it wasn't something I had immediately expected out of Yuri, who easily trounced my brother, who had been lauded as a prodigy since youth. Then it hit me, she had this... grace to her that made her movements seem... effortless, like she wasn't even controlling her body.

I felt another chill roll down my spine, Miana stood, the thin hem of her shirt peeking through the iron armor she was now donning. Slightly discolored and dirty, the iron plates seemed form fitted to her figure, the armor looking as though it were a second skin.

"We're going to be fighting Yuri tonight, my soon to be sister-in-law... I hope you won't hate us if we rough him up a bit." She giggled.

"Oh... we aren't too worried, are we dear?" Nashana laughed.

She materialized at my side, her arms tucked under her breasts, a sly grin on her face.

"Oh... you must be Nashana, Ravel's Phoenix, correct?" Miana asked.

"Indeed, Sister of the Dragon, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance." Nashana said, taking a bow.

"You as well, little Phoenix." She responded. "But why do you sound so sure that we can't win? She asked.

Nashana giggled, throwing her arm around my shoulder. "I think you'll see tonight... I caught a glimpse of something special inside that boy when he borrowed me from the little one here." She said.

"Something special? What are you tal-" Miana began, before Nashana pressed her finger against her lip, forcing her to pause.

"I don't want to ruin the fun." She giggled.

She pulled away from Miana, dragging me along with her. She rushed me through the door to the home, and began taking me down the snowy streets.

We walked for a few minutes, until arriving on a small mountain of snow outside of the village. As she pulled me up, I was stunned at just how much of the village I could see from here. A vast sprawl of buildings, large and small, dotted an expanse that was easily seven miles across and ten from front to back.

Near the top I recognized Yuri's hair color when he was merged with Yuki, his long, icy blue hair swayed softly in the Winter breeze. He was sitting cross-legged, eyes closed As I neared him, he turned to me, his eyes slightly unfocused.

"Ah... Ravel... I would have preferred a little time alone... oh well. Girls... take a break." He said.

A soft white glow was followed by the materialization of Yuki, Eden, and Baphomet in a triangle around him.

"How do you do that?" Nashana's question was quite out of the blue, and I hadn't the slightest clue what she meant.

"You mean the Union?" He asked. "It's my first Sub-Species." He explained.

He exposed his flame, then concentrated for a moment. After a few seconds it had turned a soft, light purple.

"I'm not great with energy that isn't mine or Yuki's, which meant that Baphy and Eden here were more of a last resort, since we had to fight alongside one another, rather than _together._ That bothered me, so when I left the village, I spent some time learning how to diffuse foreign energy for my own use, with the help of Freja." He explained.

"How did she help?" I asked.

"Her energy, being mostly Holy, in essence, was about as foreign to me as could be, so, even though it was rather difficult to learn, after mastering the Holy element, I breezed through all of the others." He said with a smile.

He stood to his feet, brushing snow from his pants. The others stood with him, Eden and Yuki returning to their place inside his spirit. Baphomet remained, her goat hooves scratching at dirt beneath the snow.

"What's wrong, Baphy?" He asked.

She looked away him, her dark red irises darting around, trying to avoid eye contact.

"Baphomet." He said, his voice far more commanding and stern than I was used to.

She locked eyes with him, then spoke.

"Are you happy with me? I'm not a dragon, like Yuki, or a super weapon, like Eden... aren't I just dragging you do-"

He had moved forward, taking her cheeks in his hands, and, without a word, pressed his lips to her. The tiny Demoness seemed startled, but not unwilling to capitulate to her master. The two of them sat there in their tight embrace for just long enough for me to begin feeling jealous, then Yuri pulled away, a soft, loving looked trained on Baphomet.

"I love you, Baphy. You are my Shield, and there is no one in this world that I trust more than you with my life... okay?" He said.

She nodded, jumping forward and wrapping her arms around him, before disappearing along with the others.

"It... must be hard to be an emotional pillar for so many." I said.

"Sorry, this is how I care for them... I'm... better with physical love than other kinds... maybe I'll learn to be sensitive in other ways when I'm with you." He said.

"Oh... Nashana... can you create a barrier around us for a few moments, one that's entirely focused on hiding energy?" He asked.

"Of course, just a moment." She said.

Within a few seconds, the three of us were covered in a small sphere of orange energy. Yuri thanked her before producing his Flames.

"I want to show you what Union can do, but I don't want to tip of my Mother or Miana... here goes." He said.

His arm was consumed in brilliant purple flames which quickly disappeared. A few, drastic changes occurred after a few seconds. First, the pale skin on his face and chest quickly adopted a light blue hue, much like Yuki's scales. Of course, that's because they were _becoming_ scales, small, divisions forming over top his skin.

His left and right arms began glowing with white light, which dissipated after a moment to reveal two, silver gauntlets that reflected orange from the light of the barrier. They slowly expanded, until they had covered the entirety of his arms with their gleaming metal.

Finally, his blue hair became an inky black, followed by two, curling black goat horns spouting from just above his ears. He bent over, roaring in agony as his legs began to morph, slowly into an amalgam of goat and human legs, and then finally into the standard digitigrade goat legs.

The Yuri standing before me looked entirely different, now a hulking, monstrous beast with the properties of his three spirits, he looked to the two of us before speaking, he voice surprisingly normal.

"This... is the Quadra Union Demon... it isn't my strongest form..." He began, before taking a long, deep breath and finishing

" _But it should be enough to crush my mother."_


	23. Chapter 22 - Pre-Fight (Part 1)

**Highschool DxD: Snow Dragon and Fire Phoenix**

 **Chapter 22 (Part 1)**

Just so there's no question as to what's going on, this chapter is the final buildup to the fight scene that I've been crafting for quite some time. I wanted to dedicate an entire update to this scene, so if these last few chapters have been a little uneventful, don't worry.

 **Ravel, Siberian Wasteland**

Night had fallen quickly, coating the land in an almost misty darkness. The gentle wind that been blowing across the village had died down, leaving a motionless, stagnant air over the homes. The chilly, sub-freezing snow had hardened even further, crunching under my feet as I walked. 

Freja had joined me on our walk from the village, shortly after Yuri had left to prepare for his fight. It was slightly awkward, with her being Yuri's ex-lover, and I being his current. It didn't seem to faze her, however. She showed an odd willingness to speak with me, and if I didn't know any better, it seemed as though she were trying her hardest to befriend me. I just didn't know how to react to it.

She softly hummed a rather light tune as we walked, the uplifting notes the only source of sound in the now empty village. Everyone had left, walking about a mile north into the same clearing where Yuri had fought Redrick. As we walked, I had a question for Freja that I had finally gained the courage to ask.

"So... what was Yuri like when he was with you?" I asked.

"Yuri? What about him?" She asked.

"Well... you know... I want to know how different the Yuri of now is from the Yuri that was... with... you." I said.

"I see... I tell you what... Yuri's going to be leaving soon, as I'm sure you know... and... well... if he's not here, I don't really have much of a reason to stay here... well, no reason but you." She started.

We finally made it to the outskirts of the village, a rising hill of snow blocking any view we would have had of the inhabitants on the other side. As we continued walking, Freja finished her thoughts.

"With that in mind, I have a proposition. If you'd like to stay here with Yuri's parents for a while, then I will as well. If you decide you'd rather leave and return home, I will go with you, as long as your parents are alright with me staying there." She said.

 _Wait... WHAT!_

We reached the crest of the hill, and were greeted with a soft rush of air that blew a bit of snow towards us. Everyone was at the plateau adjacent to the bottom of the hill, congregating into small groups that buzzed with excitement about the upcoming fight.

Yuri was stood amongst a larger crowd near the back of the group, speaking with what seemed to be a five young men, all clad in the same black robes. As Freja and I got closer, Yuri and the five men turned to us. At the sight of me, the five men dropped down onto a knee.

"Good evening my Queen." One of them said, garnering a laugh from Yuri.

"She's not Queen yet... not until the night's festivities are over." He said. "Speaking of which... I'd best address the rest of the village soon." He said. "No matter what you see out there, Ravel... don't worry... I'll be fine." He promised.

With that, he turned and dashed through the crowds, stopping upon reaching his mother and Miana. They seemed jovial in their conversation, so I made my way over to them.

"Oh, I thought you'd be talking with Freja... well then... Mother, Sister... are you prepared?" He asked.

"Yep... although... I have something I want to say... Brother." Miana said.

Yuri considered her for a moment, and then, with a soft smile, he reached out and patted her head gently.

"Little Sister, whatever you want to say can be said after the fight." He told her. "I _will_ listen to you, Little One." He said.

She looked at him, slightly downtrodden, but nodded.

A moment later, a large magic circle appeared next to us, followed by Rias Gremory, along with her Peerage. I found their presence somewhat surprising, but not after considering Rias' brother. She was probably here to give her brother an opinion on Yuri.

One of her peerage, a young man with spiky brown hair, sprinted toward Yuri, then wrapped him in a tight hug.

Yuri laughed at this. "Hey there, Issei! I thought you'd gone back!" He laughed.

"We did leave, but President Rias said she needed to talk to you after we returned."He explained.

"Well, I suppose I could hold off the fight for a few more minutes." He said.

Rias pulled him to the side, leaving me alone with Miana and Asuka. Miana smiled as she watched her brother immediately become mired in the politics that came with being a King.

"It seems as though Brother is getting his first taste of what being a King is, I'm not too worried about it though, if anyone is smart enough to take to it, it's him." She said.

"Indeed... it's a shame that I'll be stripping him of his Kingship so soon." Asuka laughed.

"I wouldn't be so sure that things will go your way, dear Asuka." A rather echoed voice said. Despite its initial untraceable echo, a small plume of red fire burst into existence next to us, where it remained and eventually died down, revealing a pretty, white haired woman. She was clad in a soft, white shirt, and thick brown pants that seemed more for heat protection than style. As she turned to face Asuka, her sizable breasts freely bounced underneath her shirt.

"Ah... hello Hephaestus... I can't say I'm surprised to see you... but the timing is peculiar, I must say." Asuka said.

"Oh... Yuri invited me, said I might enjoy getting to see him absolutely trounce you with my little toy." The woman, Hephaestus, giggled.

"Oh really... well then... if he's so damn confident, then I guess I'm not really interested in holding back anymore... I'm going to humiliate him." She said.

"Have fun with that, but I think you'll be surprised at just how much he's grown." Hephaestus said.

"I suppose we'll see, it looks like brother is ready to speak." Miana said.

Indeed, a small column of snow had formed over where Yuri had been standing. He sat atop it, waiting for the chatter to die down. As it did, he stood up, then addressed them.

"Good evening all! I'm sure you're all aware, but just in case you aren't, a quick refresher. Today... I slayed a King, handily! Now of course, you all know what that means... it means tonight, I will be coronated as your new King." He said.

A roar of excitement ripped through the crowd, showing me just how loud and boisterous a few thousand people could be. Their cheering died down after a few moments, and he continued.

"Now, me being the fifth King means that you _ladies_ get to have the opportunity to take me down tonight... unfortunately, only two of the women in the village expressed interest in challenging me... and they both happen to be family." He said.

Miana and Asuka stood proudly in front of their brother's snow pillar, looking at him with wide smiles.

"Miana, you were first to ask, so I suppose you get the first attempt. That fair to you, Mother?" He asked.

Asuka nodded her assent.

 _"Very well then... Miana, let's begin."_

 **Ooooookay, now that this part of the chapter is done, I'll be getting to work on the next one almost immediately after this goes live. It'll be a long one, probably more than 6000 words, so it might take a while.**

 **I'll also be updating my redux of The Void pretty soon, so make sure to check that out when you get the chance.**

 **Don't forget to Follow, Favorite, and leave a Review.**

 **Much Love.**


	24. Announcement

**Highschool DxD: Snow Dragon and Fire Phoenix Rewrite**

 _Yep, you read that right. I'm redoing this story with a couple of significant changes that I've been considering implementing for a while, but simply wouldn't make sense in the writing's current state. There's a lot I could/should have fleshed out but opted not to because I wanted to get the next chapters out in what I considered a "reasonable" timeframe. Now? I really couldn't give a shit what people think is "reasonable." If I don't think the chapter's ready to be posted, I won't post it._

 _What you can expect from here on:_

 _The first person aspect of the story is getting scrapped, after a bit of reading through my old chapters, it's clear that this story would only benefit from being swapped to the third person perspective._

 _Significantly longer chapters. A number of you noted my tendency to expand on certain aspects of my story to a near-rambling level. That's not going to stop, in fact, it's going to get much, much worse, or better, considering whether you like that kind of thing or not. I don't think I'll be posting a chapter under 5000-10000 words. Is that a little ridiculous? Yes. Do I care? Not really._

 _Significantly better writing. In my absence, I enlisted in the beta writing program of an authorship site known as Honeyfeed. I wrote a story that was entirely my own, and I noticed over time that I had far exceeded the level of storytelling that I had used in my previous work on FanFiction. I think after I've uploaded the first rewritten chapter, you'll agree that my writing ability has improved exponentially._

 _A few character differences. Aside from a few aesthetic changes to him, namely, making him a bit shorter and darker haired, Yuri's not really going to change all that much, although I AM considering changing his name to Drake, as I feel it fits the Devil persona just a bit more. Ravel, on the other hand, might see a bit of a personality change. I was well aware of Ravel's typical tsundere personality, but I couldn't help but essentially make her a simpering suck-up towards Yuri. But as I look back on the ways that I portrayed her, I'm not really a fan of most of it. I want her to be a significant part of Yuri's thought process, and not just in the "I need to protect her" kind of way. I want her to be the one who challenges his nonstop thirst for fighting._

 _That's really it, if I'm honest, expect a rewritten chapter one eventually… I'm not going to give a specific timeframe as it's unfair to me to put an artificial due date on it, and unfair to you if I fail to meet it._


	25. Chapter 1 v2- A Modern Day Devil Appears

**Highschool DxD: Snow Dragon & Fire Phoenix**

 **Chapter 1: An Encounter With a Modern Day Devil**

The soft echo of the school bells' ringing over Kuoh Academy persisted weakly as the students made their way to lunch. A group of four young men walked languidly through the school to the outskirts, three of them talking animatedly, and the forth watching with an air of polite interest.

"Hey, so, like I was saying before class, I got into the adult section of the video store… and I struck _gold_." Said one, a bald, slightly muscular one.

He pulled a stack of thin disc cases from his bag, eyes darting left and right as he flashed them in front of his friends.

The other two gave low whistles of excitement, leaning into get a look at them. After a moment, one of them leaned backwards to the less interested young man.

"Hey, Drake? My mom said if you need a place to stay this week you're welcome to crash with us. It's better than you camping out in random hotels." He said.

Drake, standing slightly behind the others, gave a noise of realization as he looked back at Issei.

"I didn't say? I managed to find an apartment not far from here. I think I'm going to spend the day after class picking up furniture for my new place." Drake responded.

"No! You didn't say anything about it! Well, shit, I'm glad to hear it. I'm sure it's been a pain having to lug your stuff around, at least." Issei laughed.

"Well, it will be nice to have a place I can consider home, not that I don't appreciate you and your parents' hospitality, mind you… but I'd rather worry about that _after_ I've gotten something in my stomach, so let's pick up the pace, eh?" Drake said, hands massaging his empty stomach.

The four boys moved on to the lunchroom with haste, each ordering food as the lunch lines shortened, though none ordered as much food as Drake, who ordered enough food to comfortably feed three people.

"Dude, I get hungry too, but even I can't understand how you manage to fit that much food inside you… it's like you're inhuman or something." Motohama said, eyeing the majority of Drake's sandwiches.

"Yeah… well, back when I was sticking with my Mom and Dad, my Dad always made it a point to feed us a lot of food, told us the extra stores of fat would be rather helpful if we ever got trapped in an area and couldn't forage for food ourselves. I guess my body kind of… got used to it, and now I need a ridiculous amount of food to keep going. I suppose it's not so bad, it's not like I've gained a bunch of weight from my eating habits." Drake said.

"Yeah but… how do you afford it? I can't imagine eating that much is exactly cheap… I know you said your parents send you money every month, but what exactly do they do?" Motohama said.

"Ah… it's a little difficult to really put a title on what they do. Mom's kind of an explorer… she's really strong, and able to keep herself and my dad safe… and my dad's kind of a mix between a cartographer and an archaeologist. He goes around with my mom to get a detailed description of a specific area, usually at the request of whatever government has control over that area. You'd be surprised at how much a government cares about the minute details of the land they own." Drake explained.

"Huh… so where are they now? I'm guessing they're somewhere that you'd rather not be, since you decided to leave and come here, right?" Motohama asked.

"They got a request from the Russian Government to explore the majority of the Siberian Wasteland. They've been at it for a few months, but, as you said, I wasn't really too interested. Siberia's a big chunk of land, and I didn't like the idea of being in a frozen hellhole for a few years." Drake laughed.

"How big is your new place?" Issei asked.

"Oh, it's not too big. It's not like I'm living with anyone, so I didn't feel the need to get some place ridiculously large or anything. I want to say it's like three hundred square feet or so." Drake answered in between bites of beef cutlet. "You three can come by today, if you'd like." He added.

"Sure, I can stop by, but I think these two are more interested in their spoils of war to come." Issei laughed.

The four left the lunchroom and returned to class, letting the day drone on for a few more hours before it finally came to an end. Drake waited quietly at the school gate for Issei, who bustled over to him quickly after spotting him from the entrance.

"So where's this place at?" Issei asked, stretching his arms behind his head and yawning loudly.

"A few blocks to the east of here, it's a bit of a walk, I'll admit, but I get up so early that it probably won't matter for me." Drake explained.

They walked slowly, talking at least about seemingly nothing at all, while the last vestiges of the evening sun disappeared behind the skyline.

"Here we are, like I said, it's not much, but it suits a single guy like me." Drake said. " C'mon, I'll show you around the place."

The small apartment complex had maybe eight units, all connected and completely dark, their occupants either asleep or out at work.

Drake led Issei up the staircase to a row of four units, then moved to the very last one. He pulled a small key from his pocket, then opened the door.

"Like I said, it's not a mansion or anything, but I don't really see the point to a huge house when you live alone. Now, I just need to get some furniture, I've already got a bed frame picked out, I just need to get a mattress. That might be a bit more difficult than I originally thought, since Japan's pretty big on futons. Maybe I'll order one overseas when I connect some stuff to the internet… guess that means I'll have to buy a computer, too." Drake mused.

"There's no way that's gonna be cheap." Issei remarked, his eyes scanning the empty room as he moved further inside. The only light in the room belonged to a small lamp affixed to the wall at the back of the room. Despite this, the entire room was exceptionally bright, save for a corner of the room almost directly opposite the lamp, where an inky black shadow seemed to grip the corner where it lay.

Issei rubbed his eyes, turning to Drake, who had closed the door quietly behind him.

"I'm actually starting to get really tired, I must not have gotten enough sleep last night." He laughed. "I think I've started hallucinating."

Drake nodded, his head turning to take in the room.

"Well, at least you got to see the place, I wasn't expecting to be able to go get furniture tonig-"

Issei had begun to sway on his feet, his eyes drooping as he shifted. Without warning, he fell back, only to be halted by Drake's arm. Drake gave a sigh and shifted Issei onto his shoulder. Issei obviously couldn't feel it, but Drake was absolutely certain that Issei's sudden collapse had nothing to do with a lack of sleep.

"Come." He commanded.

The anomalous light and shadow shifted, slowly dragging themselves toward him. As they neared, they areas they had once occupied became normal, the lamp now giving off a much more realistic glow, and the corner that held the shadow now filled with the golden light of a normal lamp.

The shadow began to rise from the ground as it neared, eventually pulling itself into a hulking, seven foot creature that seemed to be made of a black mist, rather than solid shadow. Although it had no face, save a pair of crimson eyes, its form was undeniably male, with broad shoulders and a large, seemingly muscular torso.

Drake shifted Issei, offering the young man to the creature.

"Take him, Baphomet. I'll need my hands free." He said.

"Of course." Its reply came, more of a growl than any form of speech, yet despite its overly threatening appearance, it took Issei into its arms with great care.

The light from the lamp had finally arrived at Drake's side, and it, too, rooms from the ground to take on a humanoid form. At first glance, one might have called her a being made of pure light. Long, messy, silver hair coupled with paper white skin gave her an almost sickly appearance, and the long, frilly white dress she was clad in gave her a positively haunting look.

She looked up at him, revealing a pair of white eyes that lacked pupils, irises, and blood vessels. She blinked twice, then tilted her head to the side.

"Do you know why I woke you, Eden?" Drake asked.

"No?" She replied, her eyes moving to gaze upon Baphomet, who was busy ensuring that Issei was properly secured.

"We might be under attack, so do me a favor and get into Weapon Mode." He said.

With a nod, she leaned forward and wrapped herself around his right arm, glowing brightly until she had become pure light once again. As her form shrunk down, the glow began to fade, leaving behind only a silver, diamond encrusted gauntlet that rested snugly on his hand. He balled a fist a few times.

"It's been a few weeks since I last wore you… I think I might have grown accustomed to being without you, my hand is a little cramped in here." He said. "Alright, let's move. Keep a firm grip on Issei, Baphomet. He's far too weak to take a hit from the kind of enemies my presence may have brought to this place."

Wordlessly, they left the small room behind, then slowly proceeded down the staircase and out into the street. Drake's eyes scanned the dark streets as they moved. It turned out that the reason his new apartment was so cheap was due to the poor condition of the area around him. Most street lamps were unlit, either due to burnt out bulbs damage, and the ones that _were_ lit offered such poor light that Drake wondered why they were still being turned on at all.

Although, the level of light they offered were off no real consequence to him, his only concern was getting Issei home befo-

 ***WHUFF***

The sound of wings came into earshot just overhead, forcing Drake's gaze upward. A pair of black wings outlined the descending Fallen Angel as it made its way towards them.

Drake took a step back, lifting his arms as called out:

"I can't imagine that there are many reasons for you to show yourself right away, state your business." Drake called.

As the Fallen Angel touched down, his wings folded back behind himself. His body was hidden beneath a thick, tan trench coat, and his face beneath the shadow of a dark fedora.

"My business is not with you, Devil, but with the human there. Relinquish him to me and I'll be on my way." He said, brandishing a long, glowing spear.

"Oh… Light weapons huh? Since I doubt you expected to run into a Devil on your way to uh… "meet" with Issei… I imagine your business with him is of a violent nature?" Drake asked.

"And what if it is?! You're not a human, why should you care if some inferior insect like him gets hurt?" The Fallen asked.

Drake sighed, running his gauntlet clad hand through his hair. He shifted onto his back leg, tensing himself up as he prepared to strike.

"If you feel the need to ask that question… then I doubt you're the kind of person who'd ever get it." He shrugged.

The Fallen leveled the spear towards Drake.

"I take that as a refusal to hand the human over?" He asked.

Drake grinned.

"It sure as hell wasn't an agreement." He laughed.

With a grunt, the Fallen reared back and launched the spear towards Issei. Baphomet expanded around Issei as the spear approached, closing him in a veil of misty darkness. The spear broke the surface of the mist, but only made it an inch or so, before being engulfed by the inky blackness.

"Not to worry, I have more than one measly spear at my dispo-"

Drake cut him off by raising his hand.

" _Frost._ "

A blast of frigid air erupted from his palm, expanding out over the street and straight into the Fallen. The effect was immediate, a thick layer of white ice crawling its way up his body. In less than five seconds, all but his face had been frozen completely solid.

"Don't worry… I won't freeze your face, after all, I need you to hear what I have to say."

Drake moved forward, coming almost nose to nose with the Fallen, a cold, uncaring look on his face.

"I might have once agreed with you about humans… hell, if it were someone I didn't know, I might still, but Issei is, before anything else, a friend. I don't know why you were sent here, and, frankly, I don't really care, but if I see you anywhere near Issei again, I _will_ kill you, make no mistake… but for now… I think I'll let you thaw on your own… don't worry, it shouldn't take more than an hour in this heat."

He motioned to Baphomet, who pulled Issei out of its misty depths and back into its arms.

"Sorry for waking you up for nothing, Eden, I didn't realize our guest was a Fallen Angel." Drake said.

A light yawn poured from the gauntlet affixed to his arm.

"S'okay, but… I'm going back to bed, night." Eden's voice rang out.

Drake laughed. "Good night."

He took a step forward, then dropped down onto a knee.

"I've told you… you need to take it."

This voice was cold and female, ringing out from Drake himself, rather than the world around him.

Drake staggered back up onto his feet, stretching his arms out in front of him, a grimace plastered to his face.

"Gonna have to go with "no" on that one." He grunted.

Silence.

"Look, I've told you… I'm not taking that stuff anymore. I can deal with the withdrawals."

"So you say, yet every time you use even a tiny bit of your power, you end up like this." The voice sighed.

Taking another few, tentative steps, it was clear that whatever shock that had run through his body had gone.

"See? I'm fine, just a little aftershock. Come on, Baphomet, we've wasted enough time, let's get him home." He said.

The walk back to Issei's home took little time, but the constant concern of a second assailant kept Drake on edge. Only when he finally rang the Hyoudou's doorbell did he finally breath a sigh of relief.

Mrs. Hyoudou, the kind faced woman who had offered Drake her home when he had first arrived, answered the door. To her credit, the sight of her son slumped unconscious on Drake's shoulder didn't seem to startle her in the slightest.

"Evening ma'am, I was showing Issei my new apartment when he kind of just… well, I guess he didn't get anywhere near enough sleep last night." He said.

"I see, well, if you'll bring him inside, we'll take it from here. But what's this about you getting a place of your own?"

Drake explained how he had been able to find his own place, omitting his realization of why he had been able to get it for such a good price. He pulled Issei into the living room, where he set him down on the couch.

"If you don't mind, tell Issei that I'll be going out to look for furniture most of the day tomorrow, if he's interested in going with me." Drake said.

"I will, I appreciate you bringing him here, be safe getting home." She replied.

Sighing as he left the house, Drake began the slow walk back to his own residence. As he walked, he passed the frozen Fallen Angel, who had passed out on his feet, likely from the ice bringing a bad case of hypothermia.

He continued, walking along deserted alleyways and side streets, eventually, however, as he entered a park that glowed under the hue of bright, blue-white lights, he realized that somehow, he had gotten lost.

"Well… this is unexpected. Here I thought I had gotten the layout of this place figured out, suppose I was misled." He sighed.

"We are not alone here, perhaps you were lead to this place by something _other_ than your poor sense of direction?" The female voice from before asked.

"You know, Yuki? Maybe you're right. Show yourself! There's no point in hiding from someone who knows you're here." Drake called.

"That's fair, I suppose."

Another female voice called out from a thick cluster of trees to his left. Emerging from behind one was a young woman. Beautiful, with long, crimson hair and a rather voluptuous hourglass figure. What's more, she was wearing the Kuoh Academy uniform.

"Good evening." She said, bowing slightly as she locked eyes with him. She moved out into the pale light of the park lamps, illuminating her aquamarine eyes.

Baphomet emerged from Drake's shadow, moving in between the he and the woman.

"Easy, Baph, she's not going to try anything… she knows it won't end well for her, she _was_ watching our little encounter with the Fallen, after all." Drake said.

Baphomet pulled back, hovering at his side, unwilling to move away or lower its guard.

"Good evening to you as well. I must say, I was torn between chasing you down when I first felt your presence and taking Issei home. Obviously I chose the latter, but I certainly wasn't expecting you to come and find me. So, are we meeting on neutral grounds, or are you here to ask me to get out? You wouldn't be the first, if I'm honest." Drake said.

"Neither." She said, raising her hands to show her unwillingness for conflict. "I'm here to introduce myself. You see, I work for my brother in order to try keep this area as under control as I can, and a new, random Devil is likely to cause more than a few stirs." She explained.

"Introductions, huh? Then, why don't you start?" Drake asked.

"Very well, my name is Rias, I'm the current heir to the Gremory Clan. As I said before, I'm… sort of in charge of this area. I'm a High-Class Devil by birth, so a few of the other Devils who work with me are my servants." Rias said.

"Servants? High Class? I guess a lot of things have changed. Well, I appreciate the introduction, allow me to offer the same kindness." Drake said.

He tucked his hand into the front of his shirt, gripping a small silver chain with a pendant that was flush against his skin. Removing it gingerly from his shirt, he displayed the small opal affixed to the pendant, its surface gleaming with the blue sheen from the lights above.

"My name is Drake Allen Greymoor, once proud member of the 30 Clans… and if I remember my clan history correctly, quite some time ago, our clans were rather friendly with each other. Of course, this was nearly a thousand years ago, so let's not just assume we'll be able to just skip around together, holding hands." He laughed. "Still, it's nice to see that some of the old clans are still present." He added.

"My, I must say I'm surprised that a member, or, I suppose, "once" member, of the 30 Clans would grace us with his presence. There's a lot I'd like to talk to you about, but for now, I'll leave you be. Two days from now, on Monday, I'll send someone to escort you to my location after school lets out. I'd appreciate it if you'd go with them, willingly." She said.

"That's fine, I think I'll be able to make time for you, Monday then. Good night, Miss Gremory."

Drake pulled Baphomet around himself, dissolving into a haze of black mist. He often used this to escape a situation that he didn't necessarily feel comfortable in, and in this case, he wasn't entirely certain that Gremory's plan really _was_ peaceful communication. There really wasn't any way to know if she was being truthful, but he would attend her little meeting.

After a few minutes, however, her presence was nowhere near them, and Drake breathed a little more easily. It seemed that the Gremory woman was trustworthy, at least for the time being.

He moved silently down the street, passing under street lamps, yet not casting a single shadow. It was a more comfortable way to get around, taking away the potential for prying eyes, although given the time it was unlikely that he'd have a run in with anyone. Regardless, he chose to remain enveloped in Baphomet until they arrived at his apartment.

After what felt like an eternity, the apartment building finally came into view, all of its windows black and its occupants asleep. He stumbled slightly up the stairs to his room, and fumbled trying to get his key into the lock, but found himself inside his room nevertheless. The lamp had turned off, or, more likely, burnt out due to Eden supercharging it when she occupied it. Drake nodded to it, and Eden returned to the lamp without a word. Baphomet quickly did the same with the corner of the room.

The room had now filled with the same bright light from before, the cream colored walls gleaming as light washed over them. Turning to the door once more, he eyed a small backpack that sat flush against the wall, where it would remain concealed to anyone simply opening the door, unless they were specifically looking for it. Turning it over in his arms, the sound of tinkling glass emanated from it softly.

He sat down on the floor, unzipped the bag, and removed a small vial, filled to the cork with a rust brown liquid. He twirled the vial slowly in his hand, watching the contents bubble and slosh with the motion.

"Are you planning on taking it?" Yuki asked.

He set the vial back down on his bag, then shook his head.

"No… look, Yuki… I know it hurts… I know it's miserable. Believe me, I get it. But taking this stuff is only going to numb the pain temporarily… I want to stop it from hurting forever, for everyone." He said.

Without another word, he slipped the vial back into his bag, zipped it up, then laid it back in the corner. He pulled a sleeping bag from his closet, unfurled it on the floor, slipped into it, then promptly fell asleep.


End file.
